On Friday June 25th a solidarity demonstration was held outside of the Montreal offices of Citizenship & Immigration Canada in support of Shamim Akhtar & her family's struggle against deportation from Canada. Shamim Akhtar, her husband Naeem Khan and their four children continue to face deportation admits a public & political struggle against their removal.

The Akhtar / Khan family was refused as refugee claimants in August 2002 despite the grave risk they face if deported to Pakistan, either directly or indirectly through the United States. In Karachi, Pakistan the family Shai Muslims were the direct targets of the Sunni Muslim militant organization the Sipeh-e-Sahaba (SSP). Naeem was beaten and brutalized several times, including once with bicycle chains, while Shamim and her daughters were held at gun point in their homes.

This report features interviews conducted by CKUT Radio at the June 25th solidarity rally in Montreal and a speech given by the family's eldest daughter Sadaf Ali Khan at a workshop with the No One is Illegal Campaign of Montreal.

For more than one year the Action Committee of Pakistani Refugees has been fighting the deportation of hundreds of Pakistani refugees from Canada. The highly public struggle against the deportation of the Akhtar / Khan family's deportation provides a clear case of the broader struggle of Montreal's Pakistani community and the urgent need for people from throughout Canada and the world to lead their support and solidarity.

To listen / download the report visit:
http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2004/07/1987.php

To read more information about the Akhtar / Khan family and to get involved with supporting their struggle against deportation visit:
http://www.cmaq.net/en/node/17488