Firdous seeks honourable return for Haneef

Bangalore, Jul 17: Seeking an 'honourable' return of her husband, Firdous Arshiya, wife of Dr Mohammed Haneef, detained in Australia on charges of suspected terrorist links, today said he should not be seen as a suspect and deported to India.

Talking to newsmen here Firdous said Dr haneef should return to the country ''full respect and honour what he commanded when he went to Australia last year''.

Reacting to Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews' statement that the Indian doctor would be deported she said ''We want him to be absolved of all charges as he is not a terrorist and in no way involved in terrorist acts. I don't want people in Australia and elsewhere to see him as a suspect. I want a honourable return of my husband." She was sure that Haneef would be cleared of all charges and said it was doubtful that the family would continue to stay in Australia, once the Bangalorean is freed. "I badly want him to return but he should return with dignity," she said.

She said the family will face the trial and win it before coming back to India. "If he is brought back with charges still sticking to him, it will be a disgrace not only to him but to the country as well. Government will have to put more pressure on the Australian government," she said.

Haneef was arrested in Brisband on July two on charges of having links with Ahmed brothers -- Kafeel and Sabeel, also from this city, who are linked to the failed Glagow airport attack on June 30. Mr Andrews in a statement today had indicated that dr Haneef would be deported back to India subject to completion of some procedures.

Yesterday, the Australian government revoked Haneef's visa hours after a Brisbane court granted him bail saying that he had no direct contact with terror groups. The Australian Federal Police had charged the Indian doctor with 'recklessly' providing help to terror groups who tried to blast Glasgow airport last month.

Dr Haneef faces indefinite detention in the Sydney Detention Centre after the Australian government decided to cancel his visa saying that he had 'failed in character test'.

Earlier the doctor was released on a bond of 10,000 Australian dollars by the magistrate who posted the next hearing of the case for August 31.

Dr Haneef had spent 14 days in custody of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) who had arrested him on July 2 at the behest of the British police following the June 30 attack.

UNI

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