A Bradford MP's signature was forged on House of Commons headed notepaper in a bid to obtain visas for five people to visit the district from Pakistan.

The letter was sent to the British High Commission in Islamabad - in the name of Terry Rooney - 'supporting' the visit of the men to play Kabaddi in an event as part of Bradford Festival.

But officials at the High Commission contacted Mr Rooney to check on its validity after becoming suspicious of the signature and the content of the note.

Today Mr Rooney - now seeking re-election as Labour parliamentary candidate for Bradford North - demanded a full-scale inquiry into the forgery.

"I think it is scandalous that an MP's signature should have been forged," Mr Rooney said.

"It is most definitely not my signature and I want a full investigation."

The letter has been handed to the police by Bradford Council chief executive Ian Stewart.

The Telegraph & Argus understands that the five men - Javed Iqbal, Malik Imran Munawar, Arshad Mehmood, Zulfiqar Ali, and Manzoor Ahmed - have now been refused entry into the country by the British High Commission.

The letter which purports to come from Mr Rooney says: "I can confirm that the sporting organisation is bona fide and is a regular and respected promoter of Asian support events.

"I am in no doubt as to the validity of the applications and trust they will receive favourable consideration."

But the High Commission contacted the former MP about the letter's validity after suspicions were raised.

The letter from the High Commission notes: "The applicants...were all supposed to be visiting Councillor Intkhab Alam, of Sandford Road, Bradford."

A member of the Commission's visa section notes that if the letter did not come from Mr Rooney "I am sure you will agree this is a matter of grave concern."

Today council Chief Executive Ian Stewart confirmed to the T&A that he had received the correspondence from Coun Eaton and passed it on to senior police officers.

He said: "Coun Eaton passed it on to me as soon as she received it. I decided it was a matter for the police. I am still trying to contact the High Commission."

Mr Rooney said: "I have heard nothing from Mr Stewart or the police.

"The applications have been closed but this will go on records."

He pointed out that the headed notepaper was obviously old because it bore the London telephone prefix 0171, which has now been changed to 0207, and the House of Commons emblem had been overblown in size.

Mr Rooney added that MPs were in a position of trust and genuinely helped large numbers of people. "This cannot be allowed to go on," he added.

The letters obtained by the T&A follow allegations in a Sunday newspaper that Undercliffe Conservative Councillor Inkthab Alam had offered to help arrange documentation for illegal immigrants for a fee.

He has now been suspended from the party pending a full investigation.

Coun Alam said today that he could not comment on any of the issues because he was taking legal advice.

Today a Bradford Festival spokesman said it prided itself on bringing international performers to the city from all over the world.

"The Bradford Festival Mela is the largest event of its kind in Europe," a spokesman said.

"Asian Sports events are also a popular feature of the Mela, particularly kabaddi and beeni. In the past Bradford Festival has supported the applications of visiting sportsmen from Pakistan who have national and international celebrity status in these events.

"To the best of our knowledge there have been no problems with their visits and return to countries of origin. At all times Bradford Festival has acted in good faith, dealing only with recognised organisations and individuals of public standing."