Pakistani family faces deportation after son carries cricket bat on public transport. Brussels police though thought he was carrying a 'weapon'. . According to media reports, there are close to 15,000 Pakistanis living in Belgium.
In a bizarre incident, Belgian authorities labelled a Pakistani man as a terrorist after he was found 'guilty' of carrying a cricket bat on public transportation. The family of 22-year-old Assim Abassi now faces deportation from the country with state officials 'jumping the gun and pulling the trigger.'
UK's Telegraph reports that Brussels Police had circulated pictures of Abassi 'armed' with a cricket kit which was mistaken for a gun. The young man from Ukkel -- one of the 19 municipalities located in the Brussels Capital Region -- found his images in a mainstream newspaper and after the initial shock, contacted the police himself to clear the air.
"I wrapped my bat in my sweatshirt because it was raining and if it is wet I can't play the ball properly," he was quoted as saying. Despite clarifications however, Abassi's family of seven lost its right to reside in the country.
What is even more shocking though is that Abassi's father - a diplomat - was sacked by the Pakistan embassy in Belgium, for bringing disrepute to the nation.
"We got a call from the embassy saying give us your passports," Abassi's father was quoted as saying. We've lost the privilege of living in Belgium. I've lost my education. I've lost everything."
While local police were acting on information of a possible terror strike in the city, the department is yet to apologise to Abassi. The aspiring cricketer though has found support in local MPs, who have taken up his case even as the Pakistani embassy maintains a stony silence.
In a bizarre incident, Belgian authorities labelled a Pakistani man as a terrorist after he was found 'guilty' of carrying a cricket bat on public transportation. The family of 22-year-old Assim Abassi now faces deportation from the country with state officials 'jumping the gun and pulling the trigger.'
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UK's Telegraph reports that Brussels Police had circulated pictures of Abassi 'armed' with a cricket kit which was mistaken for a gun. The young man from Ukkel -- one of the 19 municipalities located in the Brussels Capital Region -- found his images in a mainstream newspaper and after the initial shock, contacted the police himself to clear the air.
"I wrapped my bat in my sweatshirt because it was raining and if it is wet I can't play the ball properly," he was quoted as saying. Despite clarifications however, Abassi's family of seven lost its right to reside in the country.
What is even more shocking though is that Abassi's father - a diplomat - was sacked by the Pakistan embassy in Belgium, for bringing disrepute to the nation.
"We got a call from the embassy saying give us your passports," Abassi's father was quoted as saying. We've lost the privilege of living in Belgium. I've lost my education. I've lost everything."
While local police were acting on information of a possible terror strike in the city, the department is yet to apologise to Abassi. The aspiring cricketer though has found support in local MPs, who have taken up his case even as the Pakistani embassy maintains a stony silence.
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