The British government has refused to hand over the alleged murderer of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq and the relevant evidence to Pakistan, a news channel reported on Friday.

According to the channel’s report, the British authorities have informed Pakistani officials that they would neither hand over the accused nor the evidence to them as the country was opposed to the death penalty under the Pakistani law.

Khalid Shamim, Maozzam Ali and Mohsin Ali are imprisoned in Adiala Jail whereas Iftikhar Hassan and Mohammad Anwar are alleged accomplices in the murder case.

On December 5, 2015, the FIA registered a case against the MQM chief and other party leaders for their alleged involvement in the 2010 murder of Dr Imran Farooq.

Dr Farooq was stabbed and bludgeoned to death near his apartment in London in September 2010.