Pakistan's MQM chief Altaf Hussain gets bail extension

Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has got another unprecedented extension in bail in a money laundering case after he was interviewed for about four hours by British investigators at the Southwark police station here.

According to The Nation, the decision of the police quashed all rumours floating around that Altaf Hussain either would be charged or set free. Other expectations were that he will get another extension of bail, which turned out to be correct.

The MQM said in a statement that bail has been extended till February 16, 2016. The police only confirmed news of bail being granted, and said Hussain has been instructed to appear before the police once again.

According to police sources, three officers of the Specialist Operation Unit interviewed the MQM chief, who had legal matters fully explained to him before the interview. All three police officers were the same who had conducted detailed interrogations earlier.

The MQM chief met with one of his lawyers and an interpreter during a consultative meeting.

Four MQM leaders -- Nadeem Nusrat, Muhammad Anwar, Barrister Saif and Dr. Farooq Sattar -- were accompanied with Altaf Hussain when he left his Edgware residence to Southward.

The MQM supremo was first arrested on June 3, 2014 during the course of a money laundering investigation initiated in July 2013 by the London Metropolitan Police, prompting thousands of people in Karachi to stage a sit-in calling for his release.

He was then shifted to Wellington Hospital over health concerns and underwent angiography and other tests. Having been discharged from the hospital, Hussain was taken to the Southwark police station where he was questioned for nine hours.

He was released on bail four days after his arrest in 2014, and granted four bail extensions.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistani authorities arrested three suspects in connection with the murder earlier in 2015. Mohsin Ali was arrested along with another accused, Khalid Shamim, by the Frontier Corps in Balochistan about three months ago.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the MQM unequivocally denied any involvement of their party chief in money laundering.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Hussain has challenged the Lahore High Court (LHC) decision restricting the broadcast of his images and speeches. The appeal was filed by Hussain's lawyer Asma Jahangir in the Supreme Court on Monday.

In another development on Monday, Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani rejected the resignations of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) senators.

He said the MQM senators submitted their resignations in protest and they cannot be accepted without accurate verification.

Lawmakers of the MQM on August 12 had submitted their resignations in the National Assembly, Senate and Provincial Assemblies.