Sehar Shebaz and her 12 month old daughter Wania, residents of Glasgow, were detained by the Home Office last Monday. Mother & daughter are currently in Yarl's Wood IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Pakistani International Airlines flight PK758 at 17.00hrs on Saturday 22nd May.

Sehar came to the UK in May 2007 on a student visa to marry a Pakistani national living in Lancashire in an arranged marriage. Her husband’s family arranged for her to get her student visa to the UK. After a Sharia marriage in 2007 her husband became abusive and would not let her leave the house. He was often drunk and violent. On at least two occasions the police were called to their house.

In November 2009 she was attacked by her husband and went to Women’s Aid in Blackburn. She then came to Glasgow where an application for her visa extension made before she fled her husband was finally turned down in December. Sehar claimed asylum on 24th December 2009. Her asylum claim was refused on 22nd January this year.

Sehar’s husband managed to track her down in Glasgow since she moved to the city and has made threatening phone calls to her. She has had to move flat to a safe address as a result.

Sehar case was 'Fastracked', refused within four weeks by the Home Office after she submitted it with limited legal advice over the Christmas holiday period. Sehar had her case refused at appeal by an Immigration Judge partially on the grounds that as her husband, who although a Pakistani national, resides in the UK therefore she would not be in any danger from him if she was returned to Pakistan.

Sehar was detained before she was able to make fresh submissions to the Home Office with new evidence from Lancashire Constabulary and Strathclyde Police of her husband’s threats to her.

“Fast-Tracked Unfairness - Detention and Denial of Women Asylum Seekers in the UK”. A report published earlier this year by Human Rights Watch said, "Women with claims involving domestic abuse are failed by the UK’s new ‘fast track’ asylum model which is too simplistic and women with complex cases have far too little time to prepare their case, obtain medical or other expert opinions, and establish the credibility of their claims."

U.S. 2009 Human Rights Report: Pakistan in 2009
Overall human rights situation remained poor. Major problems included,  rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and abuse against women remained serious problems. Honor crimes and discriminatory legislation affected women and religious minorities respectively. extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances. Collective punishment was a problem, particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which fall under the legal framework of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). Lengthy trial delays and failures to discipline and prosecute those responsible for abuses contributed to a culture of impunity. Poor prison conditions, arbitrary arrest, and lengthy pretrial detention remained problems, as did a lack of judicial independence. Corruption was widespread within the government and police forces, and the government made few attempts to combat the problem.

Please take these urgent action steps to help Sehar & Wania

1) Email/Fax/Write, Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister, asking that  Sehar Shebaz and her daughter Wania, be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached model letter, SeharShabazNC.doc which you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include Sehar Shebaz's HO ref S1369454 )

Rt. Hon Nick Clegg, MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London SW1A 2AS
Switchboard: 020 7276 1234
Email:  cleggn@parliament.uk
 CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Fax: 020 8760 3132(00 44 20 8760 3132 if you are faxing from outside UK

2) Fax/phone/email, Mr. Farooq Ibrahim, UK General Manager, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Sehar Shebaz and her daughter Wania - attached model fax SeharShebazPIA.doc (you can copy/amend/write your own version. Please include all the details. Forced removal of Sehar Shebaz and her daughter Wania, on Saturday 22nd May at 17:00 on Pakistan International Airlines flight PK758 from London Heathrow to Lahore,

Fax: 020 8741 9376 from outside the UK + 44 20 8741 9376
E-mail:  info@piac.com.pk
Phone: 020 8741 8066

Customer Feedback Form
 http://www.piac.com.pk/WebComments.aspx


3) Email/Fax, Rt. Hon. Damian Green Minister for Immigration, asking that  Sehar Shebaz and her daughter Wania, be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached model letter, SeharShabazDG.doc. which you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include Sehar Shebaz's HO ref S1369454 )

Fax: 020 8760 3132(00 44 20 8760 3132 if you are faxing from outside UK)

Emails:  Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
 UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
"CIT - Treat Official"  CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk>

You may also wish to contact
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond
 alex.salmond.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Please let the campaign know of any emails and faxes you send - email  info@unitycentreglasgow.org