Detention of brother, son at Gatwick airport: Shujaat for expunging all references

President, Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein has called on the British authorities to expunge all the references relating to the detention of his brother Chaudhry Wajahat Hussein, son of Chaudhry Shafay Hussein and other relatives at the Gatwick Airport on January 22.
Addressing a press conference on Friday afternoon before leaving for Pakistan, the PML-Q Chief said he also wants all the DNA and Police report be retired and destroyed to clear the name of his immediate family members who suffered unnecessarily at the hands of the British Police on their arrival from Spain.
Accompanied by the party Secretary General Mushahid Hussein and Central Information Secretary Tariq Azeem Khan, Shujaat told the newsmen that he was not happy with regrets offered by the British Government on this incident and came to London to ensure proper investigation into the whole episode.
On Thursday, a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Official and former British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mark Lyall Grant met the PML-Q Chief and expressed regrets over the incident.
Chaudhry Shujaat said the matter was also taken up by the President Pervez Musharraf when he met the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London last week and asked for detailed investigation into the whole matter.
The PML-Q Chief said his family has suffered huge embarrassment and the issue is being exploited by his political detractors and therefore, he was interested that their names be cleared from any future reference so that they do not face problems while travelling internationally and specially in Europe and USA.
According to the details provided by Chaudhry Shujaat, the British Police detained six persons including Wajahat Hussein, Shafay Hussein, nephews Farasat Ali Chatha, Haaris Elahi, friends Syed Sajid Hussein and Ijaz Sajid on their arrival at the Gatwick Airport from Barcelona on January 22 for 21 hours.
He released a two-page brief of the incident, which stated: "My elder son Chaudhry Shafay Hussein accompanied by two of my real nephews went on a holiday to Spain. They spent 4-5 days in Barcelona. My son is diabetic, there his sugar level dropped and consequently he fainted and was under treatment in a hospital.
Being informed about my son's condition I asked my younger brother Chaudhry Wajahat Hussein who was in Paris to go to Barcelona to look after him. Wajahat went to Barcelona on January 22 accompanied by two of his friends of Pakistani origin who were French nationals.
"On reaching Barcelona, Wajahat found that son's condition has improved and decided to leave for London en route to Pakistan. Their flight for Pakistan was scheduled for January 24.
They all got seats in a late flight of Easy Jet from Barcelona which arrived at Gatwick Airport around 11 p m local time. On arrival at Gatwick, the aircraft was surrounded by the Police.
My brother, son, two nephews and two friends of Chaudhry Wajahat were taken into custody by the Police from side the aircraft. Wajahat after introducing himself, requested to contact High Commission of Pakistan or to make a phone call but his request was denied.
"From the airport they were taken to Croydon Police Station, where they were put in separate cells and two officers were detailed with each of them. Their baggage was searched and articles seized. Their fingers, DNA tests and photographs were taken during interrogation. My son was not feeling well due to stress and low sugar and he repeatedly asked the officers to provide him medical assistance, which was denied.
After around 9/10 hours of detention, the officers told them that their detention time has expired and now they are under arrest, and are going to be transferred to Paddington Police, Central London.
"At Croydon Police they were handcuffed and transferred in separate vehicles to Paddington Police Station where they were detained under schedule 7 paragraph 6 of the Terrorism Act 2000. My brother and others requested time and time to make a phone call or to contact High Commission of Pakistan which was denied.
They were humiliated and their personal belongings even wrist watches and belts were removed. After completing custodial formalities, they were locked up in a separate cells with double door locks. There they were also tortured through high powered lights.
"They locked up in the cells for around 7 hours and refused halal food. My brother and others requested again for legal aid. After extensive interrogations, a lady Solicitor Barbara Sutton arrived at the Police Station.
She examined the charges and informed the police about illegal/wrong action. She told police of serious repercussions of keeping innocent people in custody without lawful authority for a such a long time. Police apologised and returned their confiscated belongings and informed them that they are about to be released. "Instead of releasing them there, at around 7 p m (January 23) they were taken to airport under police escort in separate cars.
Police personal escorted them even inside the airport up to the gate of the Pakistani bound aircraft and there they were handed over the passports. My brother Wajahat contacted me for the first time from inside the aircraft from a passenger's mobile phone. In total they were kept in custody for 21 hours."