Late Dr Imran Farooq. Photo: File 

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) issued on Thursday permanent arrest warrants for the suspects in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case, sources informed Geo News.

The warrants have been issued against Iftikhar Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Kashif Kamran. Their arrest warrants were received by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) anti-terrorism wing.

The court directed the FIA to contact Interpol for the arrest of the suspects within a week, as two of the suspects; Iftikhar Hussain and Muhammad Anwar, are in the United Kingdom.

In light of the court's verdict, FIA has completed all its documents for the extradition request to Interpol authorities, sources confirmed.

Moreover, sources said that there are unconfirmed reports of Kashif Kamran's death.

Scotland Yard has named former All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) activists Mohsin Ali Syed and Kashif Khan Kamran as the suspects who assassinated Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq outside his home in September 2010 in London.

A key suspect in the murder case claims the London-based party founder gave him directions to assassinate Farooq in a telephonic speech to workers in Karachi.

The shocking revelation was made in a confessional statement to a magistrate by Khalid Shamim, one of the key suspects in the investigation of Farooq's murder in Edgeware in 2010.

Shamim is believed by investigators to have planned the assassination and provided material support to the killers. Shamim claims he regrets his actions and has not made the confession under any form of duress.

'Assassination was birthday gift for Altaf'

In the statement, Shamim said that after suspending party membership of Dr Farooq, the MQM founder said during a telephonic speech that he "could be assassinated near a park",

A copy of the statement obtained by Geo News revealed that after the MQM founder?s speech, party leader Mohammad Anwar told him, ?Listen to the speech carefully, the Quaid has left a message for you for the future?.

The suspect in the statement quoted Anwar saying that Imran Farooq was establishing another group in the party and it was necessary to stop him.

He claimed that September 16 was chosen for Farooq?s assassination to present a ?gift? to the party's ofunder on September 17, his birthday.

'All planning took place at Nine-Zero'

Shamim said that he, along with other suspects of the case Moazzam Ali and Kashif Khan Kamran, planned the murder.

He claimed that all the planning took place in MQM?s headquarter Nine-Zero. However, funding was an issue.

Shamim said that the MQM founder sent 25,000 pounds through his nephew Iftikhar Hussain.

The suspect said that they were introduced to Mohsin Ali, another suspect in the case, who agreed to go to London and provide aid for the murder.

Shamim further said that he and Mohsin were arrested from Chaman border when crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2015.

Farooq, 50, a founding member of the MQM, was stabbed and beaten to death in Edgware, northwest London, as he returned home from work on September 16, 2010.