Hussain was reacting to the death sentence passed on two of his party workers for their alleged involvement in the killing of four Americans and their Pakistani driver in Karachi in 1997.

In an interview to the Urdu service of the British Broadcasting Service, Hussain said the officials of the American Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), who had visited Pakistan to ascertain whether those accused of the killings were the real culprits, had expressed their doubts. But the Anti-terrorism Court went ahead anyway and sentenced Mohammad Salim and Ahmed Salim to death which explains the real motives behind establishing such courts, Hussain said.

He said if both the accused were the real culprits then thoseinstrumental in getting them arrest should have got the reward of two million dollars.

Hussain, who is also an accused in the case, said he is willing to answer the charges against him in a neutral or international court.

The mother of Mohammad Salim told the BBC that the Anti-terrorism Court's verdict was political and that she would like her son to be tried in United States.

The court's verdict came at a time when Hussain is under tremendous pressure form the radicals in his party who want the outfit to adopt a more militant stance in view of the increase in incidence of extra-judicial killings of MQM activists

Early this month, eight MQM leaders revolted and demanded that the party should adopt the policy of ``blood for blood'' to give a befitting reply to extrajudicial killings and and persecution of party workers.

The revolt has shaken Hussain who has so far taken his leadership of MQM for granted. An increasing number of party workers are gravitating towards the rebels.

Party leader AftabSheikh said, in Muhijar-dominated areas of Sindh the Pakistani armed forces may face the same situation which the Sri Lankan forces are facing in Tamil-dominated areas.