Foreign Desk Report
London: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has surprisingly initiated legal claims regarding ownership of seven expensive London properties against the party founder Altaf Hussain, his brother Iqbal Hussain and five other associates at the London High Court, reported a local news outlet on Wednesday.
Since the party broke up after the Altaf’s August 16 speech, this is the first time MQM-P has taken any action against the founder or his associates. The claim has been launched in the MQM-P’s capacity as the beneficiary of the trust that holds the seven London properties.
Reportedly, the legal claim for the possession of seven prime location properties which are valued at over £10 million was initiated through a London law firm Legis Chambers this week.
Reportedly, the properties which are being claimed are Abbey View house, High View Gardens first house, Whitchurch Lane first house, Brookfield Avenue house, High View Gardens second house, Whitchurch Lane second house, and the MQM 1st Floor Elizabeth House office.
Altaf of Abbey View, Iqbal Hussain of Exchange Boulevard, Glendale Heights, Illinois, Tariq Mir of West London, Muhammad Anwar of Edgware, Iftikhar Hussain of High View, Gardens Edgware, Qasim Raza of Cowper Gardens, and Euro Property Developments of Highview Gardens, Edgware were listed as defendants in the claim document.
Speaking on this case, Barrister Nazar Mohammad of Legis Chambers said, “The purpose of the claim is to obtain declaratory relief from the High Court as to trust assets which are held by the Defendants as trustees for the benefit of the MQM-P. In addition to the declarations of trusts, there are other sworn court documents which affirm and attest that the trust assets belong to the MQM. There are specific trust documents disclosed within the court file lodged at court and served on the individual defendants.”
According to the document, the court claim informs the defendants “the Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) is an unincorporated association registered as a political party in Pakistan”, and it maintains that MQM Pakistan is “the beneficiary of bare trusts and/or resulting trusts”.
The MQM-P has asked Altaf and others to account for “use and occupation rent against all defendants” and “the defendants to be made jointly and severally liable for costs”. The claimant further asserts that the Iftikhar Hussain and Qasim Raza (fifth and sixth defendants) are dishonest assisters. MQM’s former senior leaders Muhammad Anwar and Tariq Mir have already told Altaf that they will not hand over the control of the two Whitchurch Lane properties.
