LONDON, Feb 1: PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who is here to find out facts about the detention of four of his family members and their two friends at Gatwick airport last week by Britains anti-terrorist squad for almost 24 hours and then put on a PIA plane bound for Pakistan was seemingly stonewalled by the authorities.
At a press briefing here on Friday, Chaudhry Shujaat said the authorities who contacted him simply repeated the regrets ‘for causing any inconvenience and distress’ to the ‘victims’ and refrained from tending any apology which he was seeking for what he said the ‘wrongful’ detention of his family members and their companions.
Chaudhry Shujaat who was accompanied by PML-Q secretary-general Mushahid Hussain and former state minister for information Tariq Azim said that he did not want to make it an issue of prestige or ego but wondered if his family members could be mistreated in such a manner in the name of anti-terrorist measures what would be happening to ordinary Pakistanis apprehended under such circumstances.
He said President Musharraf during his meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown last Monday had already discussed the issue and requested Mr Brown to have a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the case to the full satisfaction of Chaudhry Shujaat’s family.
The PML-Q chief said that on receiving reports that his son, a diabetic patient who was in Barcelona was not very well had directed his brother Wajahat Hussain who was at that time in Paris to rush to the Spanish capital so that “Shafay (his son) is properly looked after. Wajahat went to Barcelona and both were on their way back to Pakistan when they were detained at Gatwick.”
He said Wajahat was in Paris to make arrangements for the Pakistani community reception for President Musharraf who was in the French capital before proceeding to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum.
According to the details when the plane carrying Wajahat, Shafay and four others landed at Gatwick it was surrounded by the British anti-terrorist squad and then they were taken into custody after they were brought out of the aircraft after a delay of 25 minutes.
At the immigration they were met by 12 persons in civilian clothes and 8-10 armed policemen. At this point their passports were confiscated and they were told that they would be interrogated under the Anti Terrorism Act 2000. When asked what was the line of questioning, Shujaat Hussain distributed copies of the submission of all the detainees which were forwarded to the Home Office.
According their submission all of them were asked about their travelling plans as most had travelled through three countries in a matter of few hours and closely questioned as to their business in Barcelona, whom did they meet there and if they did have any knowledge about the some Pakistanis arrested earlier on suspicion of being terrorists.
Shafay who is a diabetic patient suffered the most during the detention as he was neither allowed medical help nor given access to a lawyer. In his submission he said: “I was detained for 15 hours and I was given no food and no water whatsoever, I was denied sleep. Every time they wanted to question me outside the cell, I had to grasp the walls tightly and walk forth—I struggled and it was very apparent but no help was provided.”
Chaudhry Shujaat said that if such is the level of respect for human rights in the mother of democracy what right do the West and the US have to criticise the human rights record of Pakistan.