Forensic officers leave a property in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, England. — Reuters

As suddenly as the arrest of nearly a dozen suspected Pakistani terrorists had made headlines the world over last week, the story is now relegated to a couple of paragraphs on the inside pages of British newspapers. These mostly young men had been scooped up in raids in the north of the UK and are being held on suspicion of terrorism-related activities. But as police searches at their residences have drawn a blank so far, there is a deepening sense of embarrassment in Whitehall. And while newspapers and TV networks alike had seized on the arrests as yet another example of the ‘Pakistan connection’, they have now cautiously admitted that there is no evidence to link the suspects with an actual plot.

Meanwhile, back in Pakistan, one father at least has vented his anger at his son’s arrest and humiliation. Attributing the charges to Western Islamophobia, Nasrullah Jan Khattak defended Abid Naseer, saying his only crime is to have a beard and pray five times a day. Sadly, as perceived by many in Britain and other Western countries, long, unkempt beards of the Taliban variety do mark Muslims out for special treatment. Such people are viewed with suspicion as potential terrorists when boarding flights, and many in the West are distinctly uncomfortable around those they view as Muslim extremists.

To be sure, such stereotyping is unfair, and many bearded people I know are kind and gentle. However, the fact is that after 9/11, the world we knew has been transformed. Even liberal Westerners have hardened their stance in the face of extremist terrorism. And as we watch the Taliban forging ahead unchallenged, their ferociously-bearded warriors armed with all kinds of modern weaponry, can we really blame the West for its attitude? Frankly, I find many of these characters positively scary, so a cop in Manchester probably expects such a person to pull out a gun any moment.

From suspicion and mistrust to discrimination and stereotyping is a short step. As many security officials, ministers and journalists have repeated time and again, most terror suspects in Britain have been Muslims; out of these, most have links with Pakistan. There are presently around two million Muslims in the UK today; out of these, nearly half are of Pakistani origin, even though most of the younger generation were born in Britain. Unfortunately, this group is at the bottom of economic indicators for employment, education and income. It is also most heavily represented in British jails. And this group, too, has among the highest reported cases of forced marriages and honour killings.

Not surprisingly, most Brits form their opinion of Pakistan and Pakistanis by their impression of the Pakistani immigrant community living in their midst. This is human nature, and even though it irks all educated, civilised Pakistanis who suffer from association with this negative profile, the fact is that we are not currently flavour of the month in much of the West, and especially in Britain.

Each time there is yet another series of arrests or the trial of a group of alleged terrorists, Pakistani migrants brace themselves for the backlash. This time around, there were reports of students wondering about the future of their course of studies in Britain. Would they get caught up in tougher student visa laws, or could they finish their studies in peace?

The truth is that this loophole has been exploited by both young men looking to leave Pakistan, and by phoney educational institutions in Britain seeking to make a fast buck. Currently, the British government issues around 10,000 student visas a year to Pakistanis, and over 50, 000 Pakistani students are presently in Britain, ostensibly studying. But the fact that one of those arrested recently is supposed to be 42 years old indicates that the system is open to abuse.

Today, many foreigners from around the world have entered Britain on student visas to work. They then register at the college or university that originally gave them admissions to enable them to apply for visas. However, the reality is that in a large number of cases, these institutions are little more than fronts that function only to make money from these young men and women who are seeking to escape their home countries and seek a better life in Britain.

Looking around at the chaos in Pakistan, who can blame them? The violence, the lack of employment opportunities, the abysmal educational system, all motivate bright, ambitious young Pakistanis to migrate. But given the travel restrictions clamped on them after 9/11, many of them try to use any route they can find. The less well-off turn to agents who promise them entry into Western countries on forged documents; others pay to get smuggled into Europe via Iran and Turkey. Others sail to their intended destinations on creaky, overcrowded ships. The luckiest ones make it; others are caught and deported; and the unlucky ones perish en route.

But their desperation says a lot for their countries. Who would willingly want to leave the security of their homes for the uncertainties of a foreign land? Clearly, they see no hope for themselves or their families. In the case of the majority of the Pakistani community in Britain, they are the descendents of Azad Kashmiris displaced from their homes by the construction of Mangla Dam in the late Fifties and early Sixties. Under an agreement between the two governments, several thousands were allowed into a labour-short Britain. Largely uneducated and very conservative, they formed communities in industrial cities like Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. Once established, they sent home for wives, close relatives, and when they were old enough, spouses for their children.

Thus, the community prospered and multiplied. But given their background and lack of education, they did far less well than other migrant communities. According to one survey, together with the Bangladeshis in the UK, the Pakistanis have proportionately fewer graduates than any other group. One reason for their social backwardness is the fact that education is not greatly valued in their families as most of their mothers have had a minimum of schooling.

All this has provided ammunition to right-wing politicians and journalists who equate a lack of education with Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, what’s happening in Pakistan today confirms their suspicions.