Pakistan Times : Appeal against deportation filed by detained Pak students

Appeal against deportation filed by detained Pak students

'Pakistan Times' Foreign Desk | May 2, 2009

LONDON (UK): 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 Attache Amir Nisar Chaudhry 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 Human Rights.

Furthermore, the British Home Secretary has not put forward any concrete evidence in her contention that the appellants are a threat to “national security” of the UK and or even if there is any reason to support that contention, the proper course of action would be to charge the appellant and brought them before the court of law in a criminal proceedings.

But such proceedings has never been ensued and no charges were put forward by the Crown Prosecution Service. Therefore there is no evidence to support any charges against the appellants and their arrest, detention and continuing incarceration is unlawful, and unreasonable and without any substance; The appeal also said the appellants have been subjected to a one sided media trial at that time when they were incommunicado without a lawyer, consulate access and without a phone call to their family.

They have also felt that they have been made a scapegoat and immigration decision is but an effort to avoid answers to questions on the failure of the operation “Pathway” in order to divert attention from their innocence as the appellants feel that they are “innocent” until ‘proven guilty’ by a court of law.

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.

The Nation (Pakistan) : "Operation Pathway"

"Operation Pathway"

By Tayyab Siddiqui | May 2, 2009

Pakistan's stock was never so low in the international community as is now. The country is a favourite target of media, NGO's and the official circles in Europe and the US. The refrain is that Pakistan is a sanctuary of terrorists, an epicentre of terrorism and a direct threat to global peace and security. The accusations have been without credible evidence, but the nefarious campaign has severely impacted on Pakistan expatriates who experience on daily basis humiliation of intrusive investigation and viewed as potential terrorist. The waves of anti-Pakistan sentiments based on specious intelligence report has ground swelled and in most capitals of Europe the resident Pakistanis are living in an atmosphere of fear and apprehensions.

In Britain, since July 7, terrorist attacks in London subway, allegedly involving couple of British nationals of Pakistan's origin has led to hysteria against Pakistan. The Mumbai Tragedy, in which three Britons also died, was over blown by the British authorities. Foreign Secretary Miliband visited Pakistan and before Pakistan's involvement could be established demanded Pakistan to accept the responsibility. He went to the extent of blaming Pakistan, stating that 2/3 of the terrorist attacks in Britain originate from Pakistan. The statement was followed by a telephone call from Brown to Zardari expressing deep concerns and urging him to take immediate and effective measures to eliminate terrorists and their hideouts.

The bizarre incident of April 8, when 12 Pakistani students were arrested over a suspected bomb plot in UK, and their eventual release for want of any evidence and substance is the right time and occasion for Pakistan to protest against the statements from the authorities including the PM for maligning Pakistan who termed the arrests as "a very big terrorist plot."

The failure of "Operation Pathway" - the code name given to the probe maligned Pakistan beyond relief. We should not therefore let the issue die unless Britain apologies and compensate the accused for wrongful detention under prevalent UK laws.

The decision to deport these Pakistanis, declared innocent back home is without precedent, and should be resisted by us. There are no basis in law to deport them as they have been found innocent of any wrongdoing and are holding valid student visas. Our high commissioner in London has rightly demanded that the authorities, "owe an apology not only to these boys but also to the Government of Pakistan."