New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked Australia to ensure that Dr Mohammad Haneef, who is under arrest for alleged links with terrorists in the UK, is given rights he is entitled to under the law.
"(Australia) ought to extend all the facilities within the law and the rights he is entitled to," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function here. The statement came a day after New Delhi summoned the Australian Ambassador to convey that Haneef must be treated fairly.
"We are in touch (with the Australian authorities)," Singh said.
In Melbourne, Attorney General Philip Ruddock has said that Haneef’s arrest will not create a rift between Australian and India over. The Indian government’s concern over Haneef’s arrest is not a diplomatic rift. "What I understand the Indian government said was they were concerned that Haneef is dealt with justly," he said, according to The Australian.
“They're making representations on behalf of their citizen, and they're entitled to do that as Australia offers consular support and assistance to Australians who are dealt with in jurisdictions abroad,” said Ruddock.
Haneef, 27, was arrested as he tried to leave Australia for India with a one-way ticket on July 2, two days after two men drove a flaming Jeep Cherokee loaded with gas canisters into the international airport in Glasgow, Scotland. Kafeel Ahmed, a cousin of Haneef, is suspected to be the driver of the Jeep and is under arrest in Scotland.
Haneef has told Australian police he knew nothing about the plot to launch attacks in London and Scotland, but admitted knowing two suspects being detained in Britain.
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