Imran Farooq murder case: UK-based witnesses' statements to be recorded via video link

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) hearing the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq murder case on Tuesday decided that statements of UK-based witnesses will be recorded via video link from February 3 to February 7 on daily basis.

While hearing the case, ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand ordered that the statements of UK-based witnesses be recorded on daily basis from February 3 to February 7. During the hearing, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requested the court to record statements of UK-based witnesses on February 3 instead of February 17. The court approved the FIA's request.

Earlier, the court had fixed February 17 for recording the statements of UK-based witnesses.

The court had earlier recorded the statement of chief investigation officer of Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) of London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Stuart Greenway and he submitted key evidence with respect to the case.

The FIA submitted the names of 32 foreign witnesses before the court for recording their statements. The names of prosecution witnesses also include Shumalia Syeda Nazar, wife of the victim, and she also requested to record her statement via video link.

The other witnesses include Kevin Marin, detective sergeant MPS, David Frisby, detective constable MPS, Ann Conningham, senior reporting fingerprint examiner MPS, Stephen Townson, forensic services MPS, David Cornish, detective constable MPS, Paul Grogan, forensic practitioner MPS, Gerard Cummins, police officer MPS, Nick Kelly, detective constable MPS, Paul Hallman, police officer MPS, Danny Hooper, detective constable MPS, Dr S Al-Sarraj, consultant neuropathologist of NHS, Andrew Walker HH, coroner for greater of HH Coroner's office, Rober Chapman, consultant forensic pathologist coroner and police service, Asif Siddiqui, director London Academy of Management Science, Najaf Syed, Urdu interpreter, Edyta Silwa, employee of London Academy of Management Sciences, Rizwan-ul-Haq, manager MCB, Muazzain Ali Khan, CEO Comnet Enterprises, Mohammad Akbar, company director (a taxi company), Simon, Whitehouse Bank employee, Barclays Bank Plc, Shumalia Syeda Nazar, wife of the victim, and Khalid Khan Niazi, secretary attorney general for Pakistan.

Two suspects of the case Khalid Shamim and Syed Mohsin Ali had reportedly recorded their confessional statements before the magistrate, saying that Dr Farooq was killed because he was a potent threat to the leadership of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM). However, recently, these suspects have backtracked from their confessional statement, saying that they had recorded the previous statement under coercion. Another suspect, Moazzam Ali, has not yet recorded his confessional statement in the case. The ATC indicted the accused under various sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, related to the murder, abetment and hatching a conspiracy to kill.

On December 5, 2015, the FIA registered a case against the MQM founder and other party leaders for their alleged involvement in the murder of Dr Imran Farooq.