» 09/17/2010 15:04 PAKISTAN - G. BRITAIN Imran Farooq, Pakistani politician in exile, murdered in London, A high profile member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, he was stabbed yesterday afternoon in front of his home. The motive and identity of the murderer still unknown. Originally from Karachi and wanted in Pakistan for the violent activities of his party, Farooq has been in London since 1992. In Karachi, hundreds gather outside the family residence.
London(AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Pakistani politician in exile was killed yesterday afternoon in front of his home in London. Originally from Karachi (Sindh province) Imran Farooq, 50, was one of the founding members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). His body was found yesterday by police at around 18.30 (local time). Because of injuries, agents were unable to immediately identify the man, whose was identified later that night. Currently no one has been arrested and police are investigating the motive of the murder.
Originally from Karachi, Farooq has lived in London since 1992. In Pakistan he was wanted for the violent activities linked to the MQM had been granted asylum in England in 1999. The MQM has announced ten days of mourning. Today, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan condemned the assassination of Faqrooq ensuring prayers for the family and stressing that the MQM has lost a great leader. Meanwhile, tension is high in Karachi, where many hundreds of protesters gathered in these hours before the family home of the slain leader.
Among the major parties of the country, the MQM has a strong anti-Taliban position. The party is mainly composed of descendants of Urdu-speaking migrants from India who had settled in Pakistan after the partition of 1947. Over the years opposition parties have repeatedly accused the MQM, Farooq and other leaders, of carrying out murders of members of the ethnic Pashtun, and after the Sept. 11, of having emphasized the Taliban threat in Pakistan.
Last month in Karachi, the murder of another MQM politician Haider Raza, has unleashed a wave of ethnically motivated murders in the city, with a toll of 85 dead.
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