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Haneef talks to wife
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Bangalore, July 11
United Kingdom terror plot suspect Dr Mohammed Haneef, who is at present under detention in Australia, today told his wife he feared his detention would be extended indefinitely.

Haneef, who was allowed to talk to his wife Firdous by the Australian authorities around noon, however, said he was fine and that the family should not worry about his health. Haneef asked about his newborn daughter as well as the health of his mother and in-laws during the brief conversation which extended to just over one minute.

Firdous, who was earlier reluctant to speak about the conversation, told TNS that Haneeef was worried his detention could be extended further. She said her husband, however, told her not to worry on this count. Firdous said she did not have any time to talk about her worries or about the stress being faced by the family. “Anyway, I wanted to extend moral support to him and did not want to talk about our woes,” she added.

The call has come as a great relief for Firdous as well as Haneef’s family as they had been consistently ringing up the Indian High Commission in Australia everyday to request it to facilitate such a conversation. Haneef’s wife Firdous, who has recently given birth to a baby, has been under considerable stress, according to family members.

Meanwhile, Haneef’s brother Mohammed Suhaib, when contacted at Haneef’s residence in Daffodil’s Regency in Fraser Town in the city, said other members of the family had also wanted to speak to Haneef but that the Australian authorities only allowed Haneef to converse with Firdous.

Suhaib said the family was confident that “bhaiya ghar vapas aa jayange”. He said the family had always maintained that Haneef was innocent of all charges and that his only “mistake” was to hand over the SIM card of his mobile phone to his cousin Sabeel while leaving the United Kingdom. “We hope this will be proved now after thorough investigations,” he added.

Though the security personnel deployed at the Daffodil Regency complex disclosed that two foreigners with a camera had visited Haneef’s flat and had remained ensconced there for two hours, this was denied by Suhaib. He said no Australian official had questioned the family regarding Haneef. The family is apparently adopting a wait and watch policy and is not likely to hire a lawyer to represent him in Australia as of now.

Haneef’s well being apparently means a lot to his family whom he is supporting with his earnings in the absence of his father who expired some years back. Suhaib disclosed that the family only has one small house in Chikmagalur from which it was receiving a rent of Rs 2,000 per month. The family is currently living in a two-bedroom rented accommodation for which it is paying a rent of Rs 11,000 per month. Suhaib is enrolled in an IT course.

Haneef’s neighbour Rafique while confirming these facts, had only good things to say about the family. He said the family was living simply and that Haneef’s sister had been married one year back in a simple ceremony held in a community hall opposite their flat complex. He said Haneef was almost always out and the family was counting on financial help from him to make ends meet.

Hearing adjourned, stay extended

Melbourne, July 11
Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, detained for the last nine days for suspected links to the foiled UK bomb plots, would spend at least two more days in custody as a court in Australia today adjourned the hearing on the matter to Friday.

Today, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) were to apply for a three-day extension to Haneef’s detention without charge, but the proceedings in the Brisbane court were adjourned until 2.15 pm local time Friday after the doctor’s lawyers reportedly asked the magistrate in the case to disqualify himself. — PTI