Fasih is being harassed unnecessarily: Wife

New Delhi, Sep 30: Saudi Arabia's refusal to deport

suspect Fasih Mahmood might have miffed Indian authorities but it has given fresh hope to the Bihar engineer's wife who sees it as proof that there is no evidence against her husband.

Nikhat Parveen, the wife of the Darbhanga man who was picked up by Saudi police in May, says she came to know through reports in the media that the Saudi government has asked India to furnish more evidence to prove Fasih's alleged role in terror strikes.

Referring to the recent Supreme Court observation in which a bench said that security agencies must ensure that no innocent person from the minority community is labelled a terrorist, Nikhat appealed to the Indian government to take a fresh look into the case.

"Why doesn't the Indian government look more carefully into the activities of the Intelligence agencies and make sure they do not mess up things like they have done in this case," she asked.

"If the Indian investigative agencies have not been able to provide sufficient evidence to Saudi Arabia even after four months, it does mean there is lack of evidence against him and he is being harassed unnecessarily," Parveen told PTI on phone from Patna.

The 22-year-old, who is seven months pregnant, had moved a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court in May after her repeated attempts to get information about Fasih from top Indian authorities did not yield any result.

It was disposed of by the court in August with the observation that he has been tracked and it is for the government to pursue the case further.

Said to be a member of IM, Fasih is alleged to have been involved in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore and the shooting near Jama Masjid (Delhi) in 2010.

Saudi Arabia recently asked for more evidence about his involvement in alleged terror activities from India which has secured an Interpol Red Corner notice to seek his deportation.

Nikhat, who was with Fasih in Jeddah when he was picked up, has all along vouched for his innocence, and says she believes strongly in the fairness of the Indian judiciary and wants the case to be brought to court as soon as possible.

"We are ready for a legal battle. I have strong hopes from the Indian judiciary and I am sure once the case goes to court we will be able to prove our side. But it has been four months and there is no sign of trial," she said.

She also pointed out at the fact that the extradition treaty between the Indian and Saudi government states that extradition has to take place in 60 days if there is evidence.

PTI