Calls to allow Indian doctor to remain in Australia

The Australian government came under mounting pressure today to allow an Indian doctor to return to work in a hospital after the country’s top prosecutor said a charge linking him to failed terrorist bombings in Britain had been a mistake.

Mohammed Haneef, 27, was living in an apartment in an undisclosed location in Brisbane today after his release from prison yesterday.

Australia’s chief prosecutor Damian Bugg said yesterday evidence did not support the charge that Haneef provided reckless support to a terrorist organisation when he gave his mobile phone SIM card to a relative in Liverpool a year ago, before he left for a hospital job in Australia.

That relative, Sabeel Ahmed, 26, has been charged in Britain with withholding information that could have prevented an act of terrorism.

Ahmed’s brother, Kafeel Ahmed, was arrested after a flaming Jeep was driven into Glasgow Airport on June 30. He is in hospital with critical burns.

Haneef had been in prison because immigration minister Kevin Andrews revoked his work visa two weeks ago, based on confidential briefings by police.

Andrews said yesterday he was reviewing that decision in the light of the charge being dropped. Meanwhile Haneef is free, although he is not allowed a job or passport.

But leading Australian newspapers called today for Haneef’s visa to be returned.

Sydney’s Saturday Daily Telegraph said Haneef “appears – on the evidence heard so far – to be guilty only of having some very black sheep in the family”.

The Weekend Australian said Andrews appeared to have misused his power to appear tough on terrorists months away from a general election.

The Gold Coast Hospital said yesterday that Haneef’s job was waiting for him if he regained his work visa.

Peter Beattie, premier of Queensland state where Haneef has lived and worked for almost a year, said the junior doctor should now be allowed to get on with his life.

“We have to be careful when dealing with potential terrorism threats that we don’t leave the Australian way of life by the wayside,” Beattie said.

Haneef’s wife, Firdaus Arshiya, said in Bangalore that she hoped her husband would fly home within days. But she also wanted him to regain his visa so that he could return to Australia.

The Indian government said it would support a request for a bridging visa so that Haneef could leave Australia on his own accord, rather than be deported.

Haneef plans to appeal on August 8 against the decision to revoke his visa in court.

His lawyer, Peter Russo, said Haneef was prepared to remain in Australia for that hearing.