NEARLY 45,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Home Office to cease attempts to deport two teenage brothers to Pakistan where they fear they will be killed.
Somer and Areeb Umeed Bakhsh, who are 15 and 13 respectively, believe they and their parents will be murdered by Islamic extremists if they are forced to leave Scotland.
The campaign against the family’s deportation has been backed by the Reverend Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, as well as Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, and Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn.
The moderator said it would be “cruel” to tear the boys away from their school and friends and send them to a country they left when they were nine and seven-years-old.
Maqsood Bakhsh, his wife Parveen and their sons have been seeking asylum in Glasgow since 2012. They left Pakistan after the murder of two Christians in police custody, gunned down outside a court in Faisalabad.
Bakhsh, who was a data analyst in Pakistan and has two masters degrees, says the people responsible for their deaths know who he is and would kill him and his family if they return to Pakistan.
He said it was “extremely frustrating” to have been banned from working for more than six years.
“Continuous waiting and uncertainty is giving us mental stress and I have lost 13lbs in two months,” he added.
“My wife is taking antidepressants and our children become distressed when they see us stressed.”
Bakhsh, 50, an elder at Possilpark Parish Church in Glasgow, said it was “amazing” that so many people had signed the 38 Degrees petition to date. He said: “We are thankful to each one of them because it is not easy to cope with the situation that we are facing.”
The petition was started by Reverend Linda Pollock, minister at Possilpark Parish Church.
“It is very heartening that so many people agree that it would be an utter travesty if two naturalised Scottish boys who have so much to give to our country were deported to a foreign land that is alien to them,” she said.
“We ought to be nurturing these youngsters, who still have so much to offer our community, not placing them in an unbearable situation where they are publicly begging for life.
“It feels as if Somer and Areeb are being treated not as boys, alive with hopes and dreams, but as numbers on a list.”
The family have exhausted the appeal system and face turning to the courts if they can raise money for legal costs.
Doris said he had written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, arguing there was a compelling case for the Bakhsh family to stay in Scotland.
“It’s appalling that yet another family who are a real asset to the communities I represent face being deported from Scotland,” he said.
“Not only do the Bakhsh family have a very real fear of religious persecution if they are sent back to Pakistan, but the family’s two sons, Somer and Areeb, are settled and excelling at school.
“Allowing the family to stay is in our nation’s interests.”
Sweeney said he was “really pleased” that so many people had pledged their support for the family.
“Despite Theresa May’s best efforts to create a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants, the people of Glasgow clearly have different ideas,” he added.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection and every case is assessed on its individual merits.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel