Majid Ali: Glasgow student deported to Pakistan may have been 'sent to his death'

Protesters say Majid Ali may face death in Pakistan for his family's political activites

NUS members protest at Scotland Office in Edinburgh (Andrew Perry/NUS Scotland)

A Glasgow student has been deported to Pakistan by UK Government, despite fears that he will be killed by authorities when he gets there.

Majid Ali, first sought asylum in the UK in 2011 after his brother was made the victim of enforced “disappearance” by Pakistani authorities. His family home was allegedly raided by government forces two months ago, and his uncle and cousin were shot and killed.

Mr Ali, who is described as “bubbly” by his classmates, was detained on 29 May at the Dunvagel Detention Centre in Glasgow after his application for asylum was rejected by the Home Office and a number of appeals against his deportation order failed.

The Home Office was asked to comment on Mr Ali's deportation, but a spokesperson said they "do not routinely comment on individual cases."

“We are terrified about the fate that may await him”, the National Union of Students Scotland said on Facebook after Mr Ali left the country on a non-commercial flight at 11pm last night.

Students have also orchestrated a social media campaign which trended on Twitter in the UK, using the hashtag, “#DontDeportMajid”. Today they started a new hashtag, “#BringMajidBack”.

In response to the deportation, president of NUS Scotland, Gordon Maloney told AlJazeera: "The UK government may well have just sent a young man to his death. This shows the shocking callousness of our immigration system, and the urgent need for a complete overhaul of our asylum processes.”

The MP for Glasgow South West, Chris Stephens, wrote to the Home Office seeking an urgent review of the case and submitted an early day motion to the House of Commons in an attempt to halt Mr Ali's deportation, which received 46 signatures.

Protests against the deportation were held in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, including on Monday when more than 40 demonstrators gathered outside the Scotland Office.