Imran Farooq’s widow confirms meeting alleged killers of her husband

LONDON: Shumaila Farooq, widow of slain MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq, has testified to an Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that she had met two former members of the MQM's student wing who were in London to allegedly kill her husband.

Shumaila provided her witness statement from London’s Hendon Magistrates’ Court via video link. 

She confirmed meeting accused Mohsin Ali Syed and Kashif Khan Kamran, who had allegedly approached her husband on the roads introducing themselves as Dr Farooq’s 'fans and followers'.

She arrived at the court accompanied by two police officers from Scotland Yard’s Counter-Terrorism Squad Unit, who have been involved in the investigation of the case for nearly ten years.

Read more: Shumaila Imran Farooq diagnosed with cancer

Special arrangements had been made for the hearing, which took place today. 

A team of Scotland Yard officers has been in Islamabad for a week to facilitate the trial taking place in both London and Pakistan after the UK and Pakistan decided to cooperate and the UK sent the entire murder case file to Pakistan for the trial of the murder plotters.

Shumaila Imran confirmed in her statement that her husband did not suspect that Mohsin Ali Syed and his accomplice were intending to harm him. 

She has given her full account of the events that led to the killing of her husband, his fallout with the MQM leader Altaf Hussain and several other senior members of the party who were not happy with Dr Imran Farooq.

A police officer who was amongst the first to be at the scene of murder and the doctor who saw Dr Farooq soon after the fatal attack have also given their witness statements before the prosecutors in Islamabad.

Shumaila Farooq has also confirmed the contents of her statements on what happened on September 16, 2010, when her husband was stabbed to death outside his home in Edgware.

After Shumaila, neighbours of the former MQM leader, who saw suspects Mohsin Ali Syed and Kashif Khan Kamran attack Dr Imran Farooq with bricks and knives, will also be questioned.

Witnesses also include two English neighbours who were then children, playing in the garden. They claim to have witnessed how the MQM's founding leader was killed. The local coroner and police detectives will also provide their statements through video link.

Last year, Pakistan’s lawyer in the UK for the murder case, Toby Cadman, said Britain had handed "compelling evidence" to Islamabad.

Cadman had said that those involved in the murder and conspiracy of the MQM's slain founding leader, Dr Imran Farooq, would not be able to get away from justice — nine years after the assassination.

In an interview with Geo.tv, Cadman said: "We believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove the charges. The evidence consists of a number of pieces of material.

"It contains a death certificate to prove killing, post-mortem report which explains nature of death, items used in carrying out the execution, CCTV footage of the three accused, movement of the accused, a number of forensic expert statements that deal with the analysis of the knife used, the clothing, fingerprints, the accused handling the item, and a number of different items.

"There is a lot more in the file," he had added.

The three accused — who include Mohsin Ali Syed, Moazzam Ali Khan, and Khalid Shamim — are in police custody.