ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad has approved a plea to record statements of more witnesses from United Kingdom (UK) through video link in Imran Farooq murder case, ARY News reported on Thursday.
The anti-terrorism court resumed the hearing on a plea seeking to record more statements of UK witnesses in a case related to the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) senior leader Imran Farooq in London.
“We are going to make arrangements to get recorded the statements of British witnesses, whereas, we will also take back some names,” said prosecutor of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Khawaja Imtiaz during the hearing.
The ATC judge Shahrukh Arjumand remarked that the investigation officer of London police had already recorded the statements. He added that it seems the prosecution is willing to delay the matter to the winter holidays.
Read: Three British officials testify before ATC in Imran Farooq case
To this, Khawaja Imtiaz said that the prosecution is ready to record statements on a daily basis after the completion of arrangements. However, it will take time to complete the arrangements in a foreign country but the prosecution wanted to record statements of the British witnesses, he added.
The prosecutor said that the statement of witness had also been recorded in the murder case of former premier and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairwoman Benazir Bhutto.
The defence counsel opposed the plea and pleaded the court to give time for reviewing the petition filed by FIA.
It is pertinent to mention here that the intelligence agency has also requested to include slain Imran Farooq’s wife Shumaila Syeda among 32 British witnesses for the recording of statements. The witnesses also include British fingerprint experts, the director of London Academy of Management Sciences and forensic experts.
The statements will be recorded in the presence of a representative of Pakistan High Commission in UK.
Later, the ATC approved the intelligence agency’s plea in its verdict for recording more statements of UK witnesses through video link. The court ordered that the statements of more witnesses from the UK will be recorded through video link and adjourned the hearing till January 13.
Dr Imran Farooq was stabbed and bludgeoned to death near his apartment in London in September 2010.
Leave a Comment