KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will stage a protest rally for expressing solidarity with the party chief Altaf Hussain on MA Jinnah road in Karachi on Sunday.
Earlier, the protest rally which was being held on the heels of a BBC report over the murder of senior MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq, was scheduled to be held on Saturday. However, later the party announced to hold it on Sunday because permission was not granted for the designated venue.
On Thursday, the MQM’s leadership in a news conference said that Altaf Hussain was the victim of a media trial calling the BBC report malicious.
The report broadcast during Wednesday’s ‘Newsnight’ programme said the British Crown Prosecution Service had asked the Pakistani government to trace and identify two men suspected of the 2010 murder of Dr Imran Farooq in London. The report identified the men as Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammed Kashif Khan and believed the two were in the custody of Pakistani authorities.
In a statement, the MQM said that Altaf Hussain’s life was in serious danger. The MQM chief in a message to the nation claimed that fake cases were being framed against him at the international level, adding he would not bow down to foreign pressure.
The Scotland Yard declined to comment on allegations that Altaf Hussain’s life in UK was in danger and said, “anyone feeling threatened should contact the police.”
A Scotland Yard spokesperson also said they were not prepared to discuss interaction with Pakistan when asked about the BBC report.
