MQM founder to stand trial over terror charge in June 2020

Muttahida Quami Movement founder Altaf Hussain, living in exile in the UK, appeared before a UK court on Friday charged with an offence of encouraging terrorism with a speech relayed to his followers in Pakistan.

At a procedural hearing at the Old Bailey court in London, Hussain's trial in the case was fixed to begin in June next year, with a preliminary hearing scheduled in March 2020. The 66-year-old will remain on bail until his next court date.

Last month, the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command said Hussain had been charged under Section 1(2) of the UK's Terrorism Act 2006 with encouraging terrorism.

"On 22 August 2016, [he] published a speech to crowds gathered in Karachi, Pakistan, which were likely to be understood by some or all of the members of the public to whom they were published as a direct or indirect encouragement to them to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and at the time he published them, intended them to be so encouraged, or was reckless as to whether they would be so encouraged," the Met Police said in a statement.

Hussain, who is based at Mill Hill in north London, had been arrested on June 11 on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 and was released on bail, which has now been extended until the next hearing in the case.

The Met Police had earlier said that throughout the investigation, officers had been liaising with Pakistani authorities in relation to their ongoing enquiries.

MQM was founded in 1984 as the party of Muhajirs or Urdu-speakers who migrated from India at the time of Partition in 1947.

Hussain's UK media office, calling itself the MQM Secretariat, issues regular communique against the Pakistani government.