Terror raid pair back in Pakistan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8235830.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Two Pakistani students arrested over unproven terror allegations in England earlier this year have returned to Pakistan, a British official said.

The duo have landed in Lahore after agreeing to leave Britain voluntarily, the official said.

Rizwan Sharif and Umar Farooq were among 12 people held by police after raids in north-west England in April, but the pair were never charged.

The Home Office tried to deport them, saying they remained a security threat.

The case has strained relations between Britain and Pakistan and also caused embarrassment to Britain.

On arrival in Lahore, the students told journalists that they were investigated by hundreds of policemen during their detention but the British authorities failed to prove any charges against him.

They said they were treated as "habitual criminals" during their detention.

The British government tried its best to create circumstances which had forced the students to leave Britain, they said.

Mr Farooq termed the detention of Pakistani students in Britain "a matter of shame for the nation".

The British government have not responded to any of the comments made by the students.

In April, 12 students were arrested in the terror raids in Manchester and Liverpool as part of Operation Pathway.

Lawyers for the men said they were innocent and three were subsequently released.