Leaked London Police Transcripts of MQM Leaders' Interrogation on Indian RAW Funds

After the BBC report by Owen Bennett Jones on Indian RAW funding of Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) led by Altaf Hussain living in self-exile in London, some of the transcripts of the London Police interrogations of MQM leaders Tariq Meer and Mohammad Anwar have been leaked.

What began as murder investigation after the London killing of former MQM leader Imran Farooq later expanded to include money laundering after the discovery of several hundred thousand British Pounds in cash at MQM chief Altaf Husain's residence.  It was this turn of events that led to interrogation of Mr. Tariq Mir, the MQM party finance manager in the UK.

The leaked contents are about Tariq Mir's interrogation that occurred at Edgware Police Station in London  on May 30, 2012. It refers to a prior interview with Mohammad Anwar, a close confidant of MQM Chief Altaf Husain. Here are some of the key revelations made by Tariq Mir:

1. "Mr. H (Altaf Husain) was getting money from India, H (Altaf Husain) got his money from difference (sic) sources".

2. "The Indian government funded us because they though it was good to support us...I do not remember when I first met with Indians. I did meet them."

3. "First meeting (with the Indians) was in Vienna (Austria) or Rome (Italy). (Muhammad) Anwar and (Hussein?) were present. We had three or four meetings, one was definitely in Rome, one in Vienna, one in Zurich (Switzerland), one in a small city in Austria (Saltsburg); and a meeting in Prague".

4. "Meetings (with the Indians) were held whenever they wanted to meet; the purpose of the meetings was to get to know one another; I believe their names were not the real names, they never gave their identities and ranks. They were from the Indian Intelligence (RAW) as I understood. Research and Analysis Wing. The senior man was high up and had access to senior/prime minister level... I do not remember how much we asked for but I think about $1.5 million...I do not know how much they gave us but it went to Hussein. At some stage our expense (of the Secretariat) were about 100,000 pounds per month. I was aware of aware of a significant increase in funding as a result of the Indian connection "

5. "All the money used to go to Mr. H (Altaf Husain). Or a third thing (source of funds) may have been money or a cheque which is paid to Mr. H. (Altaf Husain). The money would either be transferred to Mr. H. by Hoowala(?). I do not know for sure who facilitated getting the money to Mr. H. It could have come via Mr. (Mohammad) Anwar, because apart from me, Anwar abd Dr. F. (Dr. Imran Farooq) and Anwar knew about the money. No one but the four of us knew about it. So as far as I know, no one else in the party, part from Mr. Anwar, had the money. No one but the four of us knew about it. We did not want it to come out that MQM was receiving (money) from Indians.  It was very secret."

6. "About 800, 000 British Pounds came to MQM" annually via couriers in tranches of less than 10,000 pounds to circumvent the 10,000 pounds cash limit.

7. MQM "sought money from all over. The Indians approached us --questions were asked about people without passports".

8. "In 1995-96, I (Tariq Mir) took over the finances from (Nadeem) Nusrat....that money was coming from India. Mr. (Altaf) Hussein knew about "


Here are some of the images with parts  expunged:

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Sialkot Lynching Reinforces Need For Police Reform

Scores of people brutally beat to death two young brothers, Hafiz Mughees, 15, and Hafiz Muneeb, 19, while senior police officials in Sialkot, Pakistan, stood by and watched silently. Their limp bodies were later hanged in a public square.

Like in prior lynchings in other parts of the country, there have been usual expressions of horror and statements of sympathy for the victims in this most recent crime. Even the the chief justice of the supreme court of Pakistan has taken suo moto actions as he has many times in the past.

Such cases of public brutality, lawlessness and police misconduct are all too common in Pakistan. And the usual condemnations followed by no serious action on the badly needed police reform ensure that murders of innocent people and growing lawlessness continue unabated.

"The Contours of Police Integrity" by Carl Klockars, et al, talks about the lack of professionalism among Pakistani police officials as follows:

"The causes of police misconduct in Pakistani society are deeply embedded in the country's socioeconomic and political structure. To begin with, the society is highly tolerant of corruption in general, as indicated by Transparency International....A police officer is expected to posses a high degree of intelligence and the interpersonal skills required to exercise in enforcing the law. However, the level required of the constables, who (together with head constables) comprise 89% of the police force (Chaudhry, 1997, p. 101), is matriculation or even less. Such educational requirements have created a situation in which the majority of the police force have a low level of education. The education of a typical constable can not support the the demands of the job; the constable is therefore someone who is trained to serve as a mechanical functionary obeying the orders of those more senior rather than an officer using personal judgment to solve policing issues....Both police officers' importance as members of government apparatus and their influence as a result of their estimated illegal income make policing such an attractive profession that people are willing to pay any price to get their dear ones positions in the police force. Politicians attach such importance to police service that even the members of National Assembly get their close relatives (such as sons and brothers) inducted into the police service as deputy superintendent of police-by direct notification of the prime minister and without any exam or procedure."

In what Newsweek recently called "transfer industry" in South Asia, the bribe-rich police precincts ( called thanas) in Pakistan are "sold" to the highest bidder to become the station house officer (SHO or thanedar), who then has a "license" to recoup what the appointee paid and make additional "profit" for himself and his superiors. Such appointments encourage continuing massive corruption and incompetence in the police departments.

The fact is that a large number of police officers are recruited because of their political connections rather than their competence. It is hard to expect such a police force to be either professional or competent, as has been demonstrated time and again in a recent spate of violence, including political assassinations such as Benazir Bhutto's.

Ironically, the first serious police reform effort since independence was launched during the Musharraf years in Pakistan. It was praised by G.P Joshi of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in the following words:

While being ironic, it was also an encouraging step forward in the history of policing when the “democratic” government of Pakistan drafted the Police Ordinance in 2001 to repeal the archaic Police Act of 1861, thus stealing a march over other democratic regimes in the region in attempting to change a deeply entrenched police system.

Even after independence, countries in the South Asian region have been unable to rid themselves of past colonial legacies, which is much reflected in their outdated Police Acts. Sporadic attempts to catalyze a change in the system have met stiff resistance. In India, recommendations made by the National Police Commission (NPC) set up in 1977 to insulate the police from outside illegitimate control fell on deaf ears. These included establishment of State Security Commission; abolition of the system of dual control at the district level; selection of the head of the state police force on the recommendations of a committee; giving him/her a fixed minimum secure tenure and transfers to be done according to rules by prescribed authorities.

As per its Preamble, the draft Pakistan Police Ordinance 2001 is aimed at organizing a police system, which is “independently controlled, politically neutral, non-authoritarian, people friendly and professionally efficient.” Even though the text of the 2001 Ordinance has been significantly altered since then, first by the Police Order of 2002 and then by the Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance of 2004, the initiative still retains a fairly good blueprint for police reforms. It is as of now referred to as the Police Order 2002.

The police reforms initiated by Musharraf were applauded, even embraced briefly by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif until it caught the eye of the Musharraf critics. The draft of Pakistan Police Ordinance 2001 was aimed at organizing a police system, which is “independently controlled, politically neutral, non-authoritarian, people friendly and professionally efficient.” Even though the text of the 2001 Ordinance has been significantly altered since then, first by the Police Order of 2002 and then by the Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance of 2004, the initiative still retains a fairly good blueprint for police reforms. It is as of now referred to as the Police Order 2002. Unfortunately, there has been no progress on it in the last few years.

If Pakistan's chief justice and other officials are serious about establishing rule of law in the country, it is absolutely essential for them to ensure serious police reforms to build a professional police force that enforces laws without fear or favor.

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UN Report on Bhutto Assassination

The Contours of Police Integrity

CSI: Pakistan ?

Watching the news, the pictures, the videos, and the abundance of speculation and conspiracy theories, it makes me wonder whether all of this controversy could have been avoided had there been a thorough and professional investigation undertaken after Benazir Bhutto's tragic assassination? Then I realize it is too much to ask of the people involved. Here are some of my reasons why:

1. There is a total lack of professionalism in the way the law-enforcement agencies in Pakistan go about their business. Even a cursory review by a lay person who has watched CSI:Miami or other US police shows on TV can see that no established crime scene procedures are understood or followed in Pakistan. The police do not immediately seal off the crime scenes. The police do not take time to carefully collect and preserve crime scene evidence such as detailed pictures, sketches, weapons, bullet fragments, explosives residues, blood swatches, fibers, vehicles etc. The police do not immediately contact the people present in the vicinity, interrogate them professionally and record their statements. They do not order an immediate autopsy in murder cases. They let the media and even ordinary folks just walk into the crime scene, disturb it and take pictures etc. They order that the crime scene be hosed down as quickly as possible even before it is scrutinized adequately for clues.
2. Even if all of the appropriate and internationally acceptable procedures were followed, there is a widespread fascination among the people and the media for all kinds of conspiracy theories on all matters, big and small. The politicians, in particular, immediately start accusing their opponents to gain political advantage. With total disregard for search of the truth, such an environment is clearly not conducive to any serious investigations of political or any other crimes in Pakistan.

Looking at the history of political assassinations in Pakistan, there are three assassinations that stand out: Liaquat Ali Khan's assassination in 1951, Murtaza Bhutto's assassination in 1996, and Benazir Bhutto's assassination in 2007. What is common in these assassinations is that in each case there were conspiracy allegations and Scotland Yard was brought in. In the first two cases, Scotland Yard could not help for various reasons including the fact that the crime scene evidence in each case was bungled by the Pakistani police. My fear is that the latest effort by Scotland Yard to investigate Benazir Bhutto's murder will meet the same fate.

If Pakistanis really want to learn anything from this history, they must resolve to fix the law-enforcement training and procedures to start to do the basic things right. Otherwise, they will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes again and again. Given the formidable challenge of the various domestic and international terror groups, Pakistan would become a soft target for their violence against perceived pro-West people and politicians and suffer widespread death and destruction. If Pakistanis do fix these procedures, I think they have a chance of dealing with political, terrorist, and criminal violence more effectively and lessen its impact on society at large. In my view, this suggestion is applicable in Pakistan regardless of the form of government Pakistan has: civilian, military, democratic, autocratic etc. Of course, democracy is preferable to enlist the support of the people to address the underlying causes of violence.