Laisterdyke family awaiting decision on deportation (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Laisterdyke family awaiting decision on deportation
8:00am Friday 22nd March 2013 in News
Tanweer Akhtar
A Muslim missionary and his family who are facing deportation to Pakistan are still waiting for a decision on their fate.
Tanweer Akhtar, 47, had his second interview with immigration officials on Wednesday while being held at Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre in Bedfordshire.
Mr Akhtar, his wife Samina and son Usamah have won the support of Bradford East MP David Ward and hundreds of campaigners after they were taken from their home at Sewell Road, Laisterdyke, on March 7.
Supporters fear if the Akhtars are sent back they could be imprisoned by the state authority and their lives could be at risk from persecuting extremist groups including the Taliban, because of their beliefs as members of the Ahmadiyya religious community.
Since their detention, support has been mounting for a campaign backing their new asylum claim. Mr Akhtar came to the UK in 2010 on a student visa after his family were attacked in a street.
