Former MQM leader confessed ‘Indian funding’ to London police

KARACHI: Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Tariq Mir’s alleged statement to London Metropolitan Police, given on May 30, 2012, has surfaced on social media, in which he had confessed about Indian funding to the party.

The statement surfaces following a BBC story accusing MQM of getting funds from India earlier in the week. The news story claimed that two of MQM's senior London-based leaders had confessed to receiving funds from India.

According to the alleged statement surfaced late on Friday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain and leaders Mohammad Anwar, Dr Imran Farooq and Mir himself were aware of Indian funding to the party.

The first meeting with Indian officials was held in Rome, said Mir in the statement. “We were sure that Indians didn’t reveal their actual names to us,” he added.

Mir said that he arranged air-tickets and hotel stay for the said meeting.

Following the meeting, MQM workers were sent to India to receive ‘training’. He said the party started receiving Indian money, which according to him was 800,000 UK Pounds sterling per annum, from 1994. In 1995, financial matters of the party were withdrawn from Nadeem Nusrat, he said.

Indian officials used to talk about Pakistani politics besides matters relating to Afghanistan and Taliban, said Tariq Mir. “Issues relating to Karachi were specifically discussed by the Indian officials,” he added.

He said the Indian officials also wanted to meet with Altaf Hussain in order to keep the contacts alive. “I think those officials were from Indian spy agency RAW,” said Mir. “And one of those officials had direct links with Indian prime minister,” he recalled.

“May be 1 million pounds were demanded … How much money was exactly provided by the Indian officials is difficult to recall now.”

Mir, however, added that monthly expenditures of the MQM’s London Secretariat touched a million pounds mark by then. “Our funding substantially increased after contacts with the Indian officials,” he said.

In the beginning, payments were made in dollars, said the MQM leader. However, due to lengthy procedures of converting dollars of such amounts into pounds, the Indian officials started making payments in British pounds, said Tariq Mir.




‘No comment’

Later speaking with Geo News, former member of MQM’s Rabita Committee Tariq Mir neither verified nor did he refute the report. “I cannot comment on a statement given to police,” he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for MQM in London said the party was aware about the alleged interview being surfaced on social media. “We cannot comment on the alleged interview for now,” he added.

‘Continuation of media trial’

Later, MQM’s Rabita (Coordination) Committee said in a statement that the alleged statement linked to Tariq Mir was continuation of media trial against the party.

“MQM is investigating into this fabricated statement… our legal team is in contact with the British investigative authorities over the issue,” it said.