ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Thursday sentenced three men to life in imprison for their part in the assassination of a Pakistani political leader who was stabbed to death in London in 2010, a government prosecutor said.
Imran Farooq, 50, was a founding member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) but had moved to London and had not been active in the party for about two years. He was on his way home from work in north London when he was attacked.
The three accused were members of the party. Their motives were unclear.
Besides their life sentences, the three were each fined 1 million Pakistani rupees ($6,050), the prosecutor, Khawaja Mohammad Imtiaz, told reporters.
Britain gave Pakistan legal assistance, sharing evidence and having its officers testify at the trial, according Toby Cadman, counsel to a Pakistani government barrister, Toby Cadman.
Imtiaz said it was first trial of its kind in Pakistan. “There are hardly any examples in the world that an offense is committed in one country and the trial is conducted in another,” he said.
Farooq’s death marked the start of cracks in the leadership of the MQM. The ethnic party, which held sway for decades in Pakistan’s commercial capital, Karachi, later split into several factions.
The party represents Urdu-speaking migrants from India who settled in Pakistan after the partition of the subcontinent at the end of British rule in 1947.
Pakistani court convicts three men in politician’s murder in London
https://arab.news/97f9d
Pakistani court convicts three men in politician’s murder in London
- Imran Farooq was on his way home from work in north London when he was stabbed to death
- Britain gave Pakistan legal assistance, sharing evidence and having its officers testify at the trial
Pakistan alarmed as Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calls for immediate ceasefire
- Pakistan envoy urges both sides to resolve ongoing conflict through peaceful means during Security Council briefing
- Russia last Friday fired hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead at Ukraine, drawing criticism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmad this week expressed alarm as the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calling for an immediate ceasefire and demanding both countries resolve their issues peacefully through dialogue.
The development takes place days after Russia last week fired an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at Ukraine called Oreshnik. The move drew sharp criticism as the missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads. Russia said it fired the Oreshnik in response to what Moscow says was an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Dec. 29 against one of Putin’s residences in northern Russia. Ukraine denies Moscow’s claims.
February 2026 will mark four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
“We are alarmed by the recent intensification in fighting with escalation in attacks from both sides, further worsening the already dire humanitarian situation,” Ahmad said on Monday during a UN Security Council briefing on the Ukraine conflict.
“Such actions not only perpetuate the conflict, but they also undermine trust, and the ongoing efforts for peace.”
The Pakistani envoy urged both sides to abide by the principles of international law and ensure civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected during the conflict. He said Pakistan’s position on resolving the issue through dialogue has not changed.
“Now, more than ever before, the overwhelming global opinion is on the side of ending this conflict through peaceful means,” Ahmad said. “This can only be achieved through a sustained, meaningful and structured dialogue.”
US President Donald Trump has been pushing both sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across the line. Plans to broker peace collapsed after an initial 28-point plan, which largely adhered to Moscow’s demands, was criticized by Kyiv and Europe.
Ahmad appreciated the US for attempting to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.
“We hope that all sides would make full use of the ongoing diplomacy, demonstrate genuine political will, and engage constructively to make meaningful strides toward a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict, starting with an immediate ceasefire,” he said.
