PESHAWAR, July 13 The father of a Pakistani student, who was arrested by the UK government last year on charge of terrorism, fears that his son will be extradited to the United States.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, Nasarullah Khattak said that Pakistan government should contact the UK government to discuss the release of his son before he was extradited to the US.

He said that 12 Pakistani students were arrested last year in Manchester and Liverpool that included his son Abid Naseer. Two of them were released immediately while the remaining 10 were interrogated and declared innocent due to lack of proof of their involvement in terrorism, he said.

Except one of them, who was a UK citizen, deportation order of nine students were issued. “Seven of them were deported to Pakistan while two others, including Ahmed Faraz and Abid Naseer, decided to stay back in the UK and challenge their deportation order in the court,” he added.

Mr Khattak said that the court ordered their release on June 18, 2010 and their deportation order was also quashed. But the UK Secretary Interior put on control order on the plea that they posed security risk to the people, he said.

On July 7 this year, the UK police re-arrested Abid Naseer arguing that he and another Pakistani student Tariq ur Rehman, who was already deported to Pakistan, had links with Al Qaeda. “He has been held incommunicado since his arrest and I appeal to the Pakistan government to use its good office to secure release of my son,” Mr Khattak said.

He said that the reasons for arresting his son according to the UK police were some emails that suggested his linkages with Al Qaeda. His earlier arrest was also due to same emails, he added.

“We are peaceful and hard working people. My son had gone there only to pursue higher studies and nothing else,” he said. He added it was ridiculous that UK and the US had been trying to convict his son on the basis of emails.

The names of some girls mentioned by Abid Naseer had been cited by the US as names of explosives and bombs, which were beyond apprehension, he said. In this way, he said, the US could establish links of anyone with Al Qaeda.

The police had recovered oil and wheat flour from Abid Naseer in UK and now the US was claiming these were used in manufacturing bombs, he added. According to him, the flour and oil was edible stuff and had nothing with bomb formation.

The illegal detention of the young man had put his entire family in severe tension and anxiety. “The Pakistan government should contact the UK government to discuss his release before he is extradited to the US,” he said.