By Neena Bhandari, IANS
Sydney : Muhammad Haneef's cousin, who is in Australia to help him, has questioned the decision to put the Indian doctor under residential detention when all charges have been dropped and said he deserves to be a free man.
"It is good news and bad news," said Imran Siddiqui, Haneef's cousin, on the developments unfolding in the Indian doctor's case Friday afternoon.
Speaking to ABC Radio, Siddiqui said: "The good news is that the charges have been dropped, but the bad news is that the minister has not given his visa back."
As Haneef awaits his freedom, Siddiqui told ABC: "The Australian government is acknowledging that Haneef is not a danger to the community by allowing him to live in the community.
"Why do we have to settle with substitutes (Haneef will be formally in residential detention) when he deserves to be a free man," questioned Siddiqui.
Twenty-five days after Haneef was arrested in connection with the British bomb plot, the Australian government Friday dropped all charges against Haneef, with the police admitting that there were irregularities in evidence and there was no prospect of conviction.
Haneef will, however, stay under detention in his home.
On whether Haneef could go back and live in his Gold Coast apartment, Siddiqui said: "He can't go back to his apartment. We want him to be free to go home to his family. It is testing our patience and Haneef's patience."
Siddiqui was grateful to the Australian community, which had come out in large numbers to support Haneef and he had full faith in the Australian judiciary, which has given the doctor a clean chit.
Earlier, on his arrival in Australia, Siddiqui had said: "We don't (just) believe but we know that Haneef is innocent and I have come to take him home."
Siddiqui wants to take his cousin home, but not with a "black mark on his passport". He earlier told Sky News: "We want his name cleared. We want him to go on his free will rather than be deported."
Haneef was arrested July 2 from the Brisbane airport while flying out to India.
He was held in solitary confinement since July 18 in Brisbane's high security Wolston Correctional Centre on charges of supporting a terrorist organisation by "recklessly" giving his mobile phone SIM card to people planning the British bomb attacks.