The Nation (Pakistan) : Pak students file plea against deportation

Pak students file plea against deportation

May 2, 2009

LONDON (APP) - Four out of the ten Pakistani students arrested on terrorism suspicion by the British authorities last month and subsequently released after the charges were dropped, have now filed appeal against their deportation. This was stated by lawyer Amjad Malik, who was asked by Pakistan High Commission to represent 4 out of 10 Pakistani national students currently detained at Manchester prison and awaiting deportation on national security grounds.

The first hearing of all 10 students appeal is likely to be set in first two weeks of the current month. The four students are kept in highly secure “category A” at Manchester prison on the orders of UK Border Agency.

Malik said that legal team along with Pakistani Consul General in Manchester Masroor Junejo and Welfare AttachT Amir Nisar Ch met all detained students namely Shoaib Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan, Tariq ur Rehman and Abid Naseer who have instructed him to file their appeals which have been lodged with the required court with effect from April 28. Though no charges were brought under criminal proceedings against the students and on April 21 they were released from criminal investigation to UK Border Agency, who initiated immigration deportation proceedings.

According to Malik, the appeals have been lodged on the grounds that the appellants are racially discriminated being Pakistani nationals and being Muslims and that it would be against appellant’s rights under ECHR for UK to remove or deport them from Britain because the country is signatory to the 1950 European Convention on HR.