Former Pakistan minister detained at Houstonn Airport
HOUSTON: US immigration authorities on Wednesday held Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh Rashid for five hour at the Houston airport.
61-year-old Rashid, leader of the Awami Muslim League of Pakistan, was detained soon after he arrived by an Emirates flight last evening and was freed after five hours of interrogation.
Sources said Rashid was detained for his possible links with Saeed. Aqil Nadeem, the counsel general in Houston and made efforts for his release and finally Sheikh Rashid was cleared to leave the airport after five hours of detention.
Sheikh while talking senior Pakistani journalist Azeem M Mian said that the US authorities had taken his two mobile phones and examine them. He added that the authorities had also examined him over his involvement in his Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC) and links with Hafiz Saeed
It is understood that he was scheduled to attend a fundraiser and meetings with his supporters in the US.
The US department of homeland security was not immediately available for any comments.
According to Pakistan’s Geo News channel, the former minister was released after Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, asked the Pakistani consulate here to help him out.
