An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad handed on Thursday life sentences to Khalid Shamim, Mohsin Ali Syed and Moazzam Ali for their involvement in the murder of MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq.

During the hearing, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand announced the ATC's reserved verdict. The court also ordered them to provide Rs1 million each as compensation to Farooq’s family.

In 2010, the MQM leader was stabbed to death outside his residence. Farooq’s widow, Shumaila Syeda Nazar in her statement said that her neighbours told her that two men attacked him with a knife.

In their confessional statements, Khalid and Mohsin sad Farooq was killed because he was a 'potent threat to the leadership of the MQM'.However, they later backtracked from their statement, claiming that they had confessed under coercion.