By IANS
Bangalore : Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef Monday said he did not expect an apology from the Australian government for detaining him on false terrorism charges, but "would appreciate an apology for my peace loving country and its citizens in India". He also said he wanted to return to Australia and would "fight" to get back his cancelled work visa.
Speaking to mediapersons here Monday evening, a day after his return to India, Haneef said he was a "true follower of Islam" and did not "want any one to be victimised in the name of terrorism as I have been".
Haneef, who was held July 2 in Brisbane over the foiled British terror plots, said, "my ordeal started by my only wanting to come back to India to be with my wife and baby daughter."
He was detained by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), just before he was to board a flight to India on a one-way ticket.
While thanking the government and people of India as well as his lawyer Peter Russo and people of Australia for supporting him, Haneef said he was "overwhelmed by support received here and in Australia, I am happy to be at home in India with my family".
Asked whether he was planning to sue the Australian government for his detention, Haneef said he had not yet sought legal advice on the matter.
Answering a question on whether he had become a "victim of international conspiracy", Haneef said: "Not international, but definitely Australian conspiracy."
He also said that he would like to ask Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews why he had cancelled his work visa. "I would like him to tell me the facts."
The 27-year-old doctor said he enjoyed working at the Gold Coast Hospital in Queensland and was "saddened that I will not be able to return until my visa is returned".
Haneef also urged the media to "clear the air" so that he could "go on with our normal lives".
Earlier, Russo told reporters that Haneef had taken a week's leave to travel home and it was not true that he was fleeing the country.
The lawyer also said that Haneef could not visit home during his wife's delivery as he could not arrange for someone to stand in for him for his duties in the hospital.
Russo said that Haneef had explained to the Australian authorities "every detail about financial transactions of the last three years, and why he lent his SIM card to second cousin. The questioning extended from four to 12 hours, 1,516 questions were asked, and then nothing happened."
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Sydney Monday that when dealing with terrorism it is better to be safe than sorry, and his country will not say "sorry" to Haneef for the collapsed case.
"Australia will not be apologising to Dr. Haneef," Howard told reporters, adding: "He was not victimised."
Haneef was charged with supporting a terrorist organisation by "recklessly" giving his mobile phone SIM card to people planning the Britain bomb attacks.
His cousin Sabeel Ahmed is under detention in Britain over the foiled terror attacks.