LONDON: The Pakistan High Commission here has taken a tough stand vis-à-vis the UK government’s decision to deport 11 Pakistanis after having failed to come up with any evidence of their involvement in a so-called terror plot.
All 12 men arrested over a suspected bomb plot in the UK have now been released without charge by police. Eleven — all Pakistani nationals — have been transferred to UK Border Agency custody and face deportation.
‘We have decided to provide the students full legal assistance to fight the deportation orders,’ Deputy High Commissioner Asif Durrani told Dawn.
He said the PHC had asked the British government that in view of the trauma suffered by the students it expected an official apology from the government to the students and also ‘we have asked the authorities to allow the students to complete their studies before they went back to Pakistan’.
‘The British government had asked us for guarantees that they would not be tortured if deported to Pakistan but we told them that no such guarantees could be given because if the students were deported on the national security grounds they would have to be investigated in Pakistan as well,’ Mr Durrani added.
Solicitors of some of the students have also claimed that they would challenge the deportation orders as ‘our clients have been found innocent of any wrongdoing and they were on valid student visas in this country pursuing their studies while doing part-time jobs’.
Lawyer Mohammad Ayub, who is representing three of the men, said in a statement: ‘After 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they have now been released without charge.’
‘Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists.’
Meanwhile, Lord Nazir Ahmed in a letter to Home Secretary Jaqui Smith has demanded full apology to the released students from the UK authorities and asked her to allow the students to pursue their studies.
He warned the home secretary that if they were deported then ‘there is no guarantee that these men will not suffer in terms of human rights abuses’.
The police operation was condemned by a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain. Inayat Bunglawala told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘When these arrests took place in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor, we were told by the prime minister, no less, that this was part of a very big terrorist plot. Clearly there just has not been the evidence produced to substantiate such a plot.’
‘We would hope that senior ministers and the prime minister will understand that it is completely unfair to make prejudicial and premature remarks in cases like this.’
‘It is perfectly understandable that not every arrest the police make will result in charges being brought … that is the nature of this sort of police work. What is unacceptable is for the government to make prejudicial remarks right at the outset.’
‘Now that we learn that actual evidence cannot be gathered to substantiate any terror plot, instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made, the government is seeking to deport them, citing a very vague national security threat. That is a very dishonourable way of proceeding.’
Police chief Peter Fahyaid said at a press conference on Wednesday: ‘These people are innocent and they walk away … there are constant threats to this country but we totally respect the situation, we respect that they are innocent until proved guilt.’
‘I do not feel embarrassed or humiliated by what we have done because we have carried out our duty. I don’t think a mistake has been made at all,’ he insisted.
Soon after the arrests on April 8, Prime Minister Gordon Brown had claimed the operation had uncovered a ‘very big plot’ against the UK.
No comments:
Post a Comment