A British terrorism suspect who was said to have escaped in Pakistan last month may still be in the custody of the country’s intelligence services, according to his lawyer. Rashid Rauf, from Birmingham, was said to have vanished after two police officers escorting him from court to prison stopped at a roadside mosque and allowed him to pray alone. He had been held for 16 months after being arrested during an investigation into an alleged plot to bring down 10 airliners flying from Britain to the United States.
The claims come on the day that Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, meets Gordon Brown in Downing Street, and are likely to add tension to what was never going to be an easy meeting. With several contentious matters on the agenda – notably the question of Pakistan’s human rights record and British concerns that the country provides a training ground for violent extremists – relations were always going to be strained.
Pakistani authorities insist that Rauf was allowed to escape after the two police officers accepted a bribe. But his lawyer, Hashmat Ali Habib, says he believes he is being held in secret detention, possibly to prevent him from being handed over to British police. "You could call it a ‘mysterious disappearance’ if you like, but not an escape," he told the Guardian.
Musharraf arrived in the UK on Friday before today’s meeting, and rejected suggestions that his police or intelligence agencies were complicit in Rauf’s disappearance during a speech at the Royal United Services Institute on Friday. "Such things happen everywhere," he said of Rauf’s escape. He added that those found responsible would be court-martial led. According to reports from Islamabad, nine policemen have been sacked for security lapses related to the escape.
The Pakistani leader, who seized power in a 1999 military coup, rounded fiercely on a Pakistani journalist at the event who asked how the country’s security services could be trusted in the fight against terrorism and over stewardship of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
"Do we need enemies from outside when our own nationals are casting such aspersions on our country’s prestigious institutions?" Musharraf demanded.
Rauf’s disappearance has cast doubt on Musharraf’s credentials in the eyes of the west, arousing further suspicions as to whose side he is on when it comes to opposing terrorism. The Pakistani government was also embarrassed earlier this month by the escape of two more Islamist militants, this time from a supposedly high-security prison in Quetta, in the province of Balochistan.
Musharraf’s trip to the UK drew protests outside Downing Street at the weekend, with a group of demonstrators declaring the visit "shameful". The demonstration, organized by Amnesty International, lawyers and human rights activists, called on Brown to tackle the president over human right abuses.
"Our team has just come back from Pakistan and they have revealed a country heading towards a political crisis," said Amnesty’s UK director, Kate Allen. "Political violence is on the rise, detention without trial and enforced disappearances are becoming commonplace."
Further protests are expected today, with Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan holding a press conference to speak out against Musharraf’s visit. Khan’s ex-wife, Jemima Khan, will attend another demonstration outside No 10.
Meanwhile Habib, Rauf’s lawyer, said he believes it is possible that his client may be released at some point in the future, but also warned that the authorities may announce that he has been shot dead after being caught in "crossfire" during a police operation.
Rauf traveled to Pakistan in 2002, shortly after one of his uncles was stabbed to death. West Midlands police say he will face a charge of murder if he is ever returned to the UK. He was cleared of terrorism offenses by a court in Pakistan in December 2006, and outstanding charges of forgery and possession of explosives were withdrawn 11 months later.