ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday registered the Dr. Imran Farooq murder case against London-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, his close relative Iftikhar Hussain, senior party leader Muhammad Anwar, Moazzam Ali Khan, Khalid Shamim, Kashif Khan, Kamran and Syed Mohsin Ali.

The Counter Terrorism Cell of the FIA lodged the case under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The news relating to the registration of the case was made public by the federal government when the polling for local elections was under way in Karachi with the MQM being a leading contender.

The legal provisions relate to conspiracy, assistance, abetment and ultimately assassination of Farooq, ex-MP and senior MQM leader in London in September 2010.

Reacting to it, senior MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui questioned the “timing” of the case, adding that “it was an attempt to malign my party. Our voters clearly know the intention behind such a decision by the government. MQM workers will not be deterred by such baseless allegations.”

A few days back, Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan stated that the federal government has decided to lodge the case in Dr. Imran Farooq murder case in Pakistan.

He had said that Farooq was a Pakistani national and that is why Pakistan extended full co-operation to Britain in investigation of the case and shared all information.

In July this year, two men said to be linked to Farooq’s murder were held near the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman.

Identified as Mohsin Ali and Khalid Shamim by the Frontier Corps, they were wanted in Farooq’s murder case.

Farooq was stabbed and bludgeoned to death near his apartment in Green Lane, Edgware, in 2010.