43,000 oppose brothers’ expulsion

More than 43,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Home Office not to deport two teenage brothers from Scotland.

Areeb Umeed Bakhsh, 13, and his brother Somer, 15, fear Islamic extremists will kill them if they return to Pakistan.

The brothers have lived in Glasgow since their family fled Pakistan in 2012 after their father was subjected to death threats due to his Christian faith.

The UK Government has repeatedly rejected the family’s asylum applications, largely because officials do not believe they would be at risk in Pakistan.

The family have been told they have exhausted the process and have no right to appeal but are prepared to launch a legal challenge.

The Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, supports the boys’ case.

She said: “Tens of thousands of people want their names to count in the campaign to allow the Bakhsh family to stay in Scotland.

“This is a family who call this country home and the uncertainty they are living with is cruel.

“Scotland used to be a place renowned for its welcome. We need to make sure that reputation is preserved, especially when it comes to those who have nowhere else to turn to.”