LONDON, Dec 11: Nawab Khair Bux Marri’s son Hyrbyair Marri and his companion were charged by Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday with inciting terrorism offences in Pakistan. Hyrbyair, 39, and Faiz Baloch, 25, have been described as supporters of an alleged independence movement for Balochistan.

Human rights campaigners have claimed that the arrests were part of a secret deal between Britain and Pakistan for prisoner swap, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Faiz Baloch of north London and Hyrbyair Marri of west London were charged with inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism “wholly or partly outside the UK”. Hyrbyair was also charged with possessing a weapon capable of discharging a noxious liquid, gas or other substance, police said.

Rashid Rauf, from Birmingham, is wanted in Britain in connection with an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners in the summer of 2006. He is considered a key suspect by senior counter-terrorism officers.

But the Pakistanis demanded that Rauf be swapped for people living in the UK who they claimed were involved in an alleged uprising in Balochistan.

The Pakistani authorities have dropped charges against Rauf, allowing the British to seek his extradition.

Supporters of the two Baloch nationalists believe a secret deal has been made between the two countries. They warned that the men would be tortured and imprisoned if returned to Pakistan.

Mehran Baloch, Marri’s brother, claimed the arrest came two weeks after the Pakistani authorities killed another brother, Balach Marri, in Balochistan. “This seems like no coincidence but a planned conspiracy and collaboration by the two governments.”

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “If these men are extradited they will never get a fair trial and they could face a death sentence.

“The Pakistan authorities have repeatedly framed peaceful nationalists and human rights campaigners, both inside Balochistan and abroad.”

Earlier this year lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service flew to Islamabad to help the Pakistani authorities prepare extradition papers for up to eight Baloch nationalists living in the UK.

AP adds: The (two) men were arrested a week ago by counterterrorism police during raids at their homes. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Balochistan.

After a 30-minute hearing Tuesday, District Judge Timothy Workman remanded Faiz Baloch, an Iranian student, and Hyrbyair, a Pakistani journalist, in custody until Dec. 21, when they will appear at the Old Bailey.

Prosecutor Mark Topping said Baloch and Marri are accused of links to the Balochistan Liberation Army, an organisation that is banned in Britain.

He said cash and large quantities of documents, DVDs and computer files also were seized during the police raids on their homes and offices.

The Foreign Office denied a report in The Guardian on Tuesday that the arrests may be part of a secret deal between the British and Pakistani governments to swap prisoners.

“The claim that Baloch and (Hyrbyair) Marri were arrested as part of a prisoner swap is completely incorrect,” a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with the ministry’s regulations. “There’s never been any question of reciprocity in extradition cases in general.”