Daughter’s photo moves Haneef to tears

Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef detained in Australia reportedly burst into tears when saw the photograph of his new-born daughter.

According for family sources here, Mohammed Haneef was shown the photograph of his new-born daughter Hania by a relative Imran Siddiqui on Tuesday at the Wolston Correctional Centre, west of Brisbane in Australia.

Haneef is understood to have broken down when he saw, for the first time since his detention on July 2, pictures of his daughter, born on June 27, and his wife Arshiya Firdous. Though Haneef was in control initially, he wept as soon as the relative handed over the photographs. With tears in his eyes, he kept looking at the photographs for quite a long time. Haneef has been allowed to keep the photographs.

Firdous, who received a telephone call from Imran Siddiqui after the hour-long emotionally charged meeting with her husband, told reporters that “My husband was pleased to see the family photographs. Imran told us that he is fine”, she said.

She said Haneef was staying in a decent room in the Correctional Centre with a colour television and newspapers to keep himself busy. “He is being served halal food. He has lost some weight. He is not allowed to call his mother and speak to her in Urdu as the prison authorities have put a gag order against him speaking in any language except English”, she said.

Firdous also said Haneef wants to return to India at the earliest. “He wants to come back at the earliest and forget the past as a bad dream. We are waiting for that to happen”, she said.

Haneef’s counsel Peter Russo, who was also present during the meeting between the detained doctor and his relative, had been quoted in the newspapers here as saying “It was an emotional family interaction. He (Haneef) was very proud, he had the look of a doting dad and he looked at the photos for quite a length of time”.

Haneef had told the investigators that he was trying fly home to see his newborn child, who was sufferring from jaundice, when he was arrested at Brisbane International airport on July 2. He was subsequently charged with “recklessly” providing support to a terrorist organization.