Australia should honour rights of Haneef: PM

New Delhi, July 18: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said Australia should extend all the facilities and honour the rights of Dr Mohammed Haneef, arrested in connection with the failed terror attack at the Glasgow airport in the UK.

India was in touch with Australian authorities and helping Dr Haneef's family arrange legal assistance, Dr Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function at his official residence here.

The Indian High Commissioner in Australia and the foreign office here were in touch with Australian officials, he said.

Yesterday, the External Affairs Ministry summoned Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy and conveyed New Delhi's strong resentment over the continued detention of Dr Haneef even after a court had granted bail to him.

Earlier, India had expressed concern at the detention of Haneef, a doctor from Bangalore, in Australia for allegedly assisting terrorists and had asked Canberra to treat him 'fairly and justly' under the Australian law.

Dr Haneef, an Indian citizen who was working as a doctor in the Gold Coast Hospital in Queensland, was detained late on July 2 night by Australian authorities on the suspicion of 'assisting a terrorist organisation.' Dr Haneef was charged with intentionally providing a SIM card to a terrorist organisation.

On Monday, an Australian Magistrate granted bail to him. However, thereafter the Australian Minister for Immigration Affairs announced the revocation of the visa of Dr Haneef which led to his continued detention.

UNI