MQM worker sentenced to eight years in US for misleading investigators on terror plots

A longtime worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United States after she admitted to giving misleading information about her involvement in fueling terrorism in Pakistan.

Kahkashan Haider Khan is considered one of the MQM members close to Altaf Hussain, as she frequently met him during her trips to London. She reportedly collected funds from MQM workers in Texas and used them to support terror operations in Pakistan.

The 51-year-old party worker had been active since joining MQM in the 1990s before moving to the US. According to reports, her brother, also a staunch MQM supporter, died by suicide.

According to Geo News, senior MQM-London leader Mustafa Azizabadi stated that Kahkashan Bukhari was removed from MQM in 2019. During the investigation, however, authorities could not determine whether her actions were motivated by Altaf Hussain or carried out on MQM-London’s instructions.

In 2023, the FBI investigated Kahkashan to determine whether she was involved in planning two gas-station bombings in Karachi. In January, she contacted a man in Karachi who was supposed to carry out the attacks. She explained the terror plots in detail and instructed him to bomb two Punjab Oilers petrol stations, even providing weapons to complete the operation.

However, the attacker faltered and submitted old news reports about a previous gas-station bombing in Karachi, falsely claiming credit. When Kahkashan could not find those reports online, she lashed out at him and called him a “disgrace to the MQM movement.”

During interrogation in February 2024, Kahkashan lied to FBI officials, denying her role and giving extensive misinformation. She later confessed in court that she had made false statements.

FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the US would not allow its territory to become a base for planning attacks in other countries.

“The FBI will aggressively investigate individuals planning or taking part in acts of violence in support of terrorism. We take these crimes seriously and will work with our international partners to hold perpetrators accountable,” he said.

A senior intelligence officer earlier accused Kahkashan of forming a “target killers’ group” to launch attacks against government and law-enforcement officials. The existence of such groups was confirmed after suspects arrested by Rangers and CTD admitted they were acting on Altaf Hussain’s directions.