Homeland Security

Pakistan seeks consular access to detained nationals in UK

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, April 16 , IRNA -- Pakistan Wednesday again sought counsular access to certain Pakistani nationals arrested in UK on terrorism charges, Foreign Office has said.

Counsular access was sought in a meeting between the Pakistani foreign ministry officials and the British deputy political council in Islamabad, the spokesman Abdul Basit said.

He said that Pakistan has also urged Britain to provide full details about the arrested Pakistani nationals.

The British police claimed on Thursday the arrest of 12 people including 11 Pakistanis of whom 10 were in Britain on student visas.

“We hope Britain will provide us details as soon as possible,” the spokesman said, adding that Britain has not given any information to Pakistan so far.

The British authorities say that investigations are still underway in Britain and information will be shared after the probe is completed.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who discussed the issue with President Asif Ali Zardari on phone a day after the arrests had sought help to proceed against the suspects.

The British Foreign Secretary David Milliband, too, has discussed the issue over the phone with the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Reports say that Britain has not yet formally charged the detained men and that they may be deported due to lack of evidences against them.

Parents of the arrested men have condemned the arrests and urged the government to lodge protest with the British authorities.

The political counselor in British Embassy said that he was not summoned to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry but it was a scheduled visit. He said the issue of arrested Pakistanis was also taken up in the meeting.