The family members of Dr Mohammed Haneef, who is facing terror charges in Australia, have once again appealed to the Governor T N Chaturvedi and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to initiate some measures at the Central level in building pressure on Australian authorities.

Haneef’s father-in-law,  Ashfaq said, “The detention of Haneef on baseless charges is a gross violation of human rights and we request the Indian government to handle the issue seriously.”

Mr Ashfaq believed that Haneef had been detained for political reasons.

He pointed out that the detention came ahead of the federal elections in Australia.

Mr Ashwaq said that Imran, a cousin of Mohammed Haneef’s wife, Firdaus Arshiya, would leave for Australia and he has applied for a visa.

Ten days ago, Firdaus had sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to save her husband and ensure his return from Australia, Ashfaq said.