Dr. Haneef's Release

Dr. Mohammed Haneef’s release from his 25-day illegal detention in Australia is a big relief not only to his family but also to all those people who believe that no innocent should be punished and no guilty spared. One can imagine the agony he had undergone all these days for no fault of his and due to the highhandedness of the Australian authorities concerned.

The Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh deserves all praise and thanks for his timely statement and action to protect the interest of an Indian. Mr. L.K. Advani’s criticism of the Prime Minister in this regard was in bad taste. It is hoped that he would have learnt a lesson by now and felt ashamed for his remarks.

The treatment meted out to the doctor shows how partial the Australian authorities are in dealing with an Indian. Australia should pay suitable compensation to Dr. Haneef for its folly in keeping an innocent in the police custody for so long and putting him and his family in big trouble.

V.M. Khaleelur Rahman

Ambur (Tamil Nadu)