Pakistan sends reference to British govt against MQM founder

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Interior Ministry on Tuesday sent a reference against the MQM founder to the British government, providing them evidence against Altaf Hussain for inciting the public in Karachi to violence and disorder through his speeches from London.

The reference adds that the MQM founder has not only violated Pakistani laws, but also British and international laws and therefore the British government should take action against all those responsible for inciting the public to violence and creating a law and order situation in Pakistan.

Legal experts in the United Kingdom said that if the crown prosecution service decides to charge the MQM founder, it could be under three different legal provisions.

There is a clause in the Terrorism Act 2006 in British law called the “Commission of Offences Abroad” and under this the minimum sentence is seven years, they said.

The clause states that a person has committed the offence of incitement of violence: “If— (a) a person does anything outside the United Kingdom, and (b) his action, if done in a part of the United Kingdom, would constitute an offence falling within subsection (2), he shall be guilty in that part of the United Kingdom of the offence. (2) The offences falling within this subsection are— (a) an offence under section 1 or 6 of this Act so far as it is committed in relation to any statement, instruction or training in relation to which that section has effect by reason of its relevance to the commission, preparation or instigation of one or more Convention offences".

The second legal provision, the Incitement to Violence Bill 2005, carries a sentence of two years imprisonment.

"Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986 (POA) makes it an offence for a person to use threatening abusive or insulting words or behavior that causes or is likely to cause another person harassment alarm or distress", it states.

Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it an offence to send a message by means of a public and electronic communications which is grossly offensive, or of an indecent or obscene or menacing character.