Gang Threatened My Family, Says Sarwar
Updated: 14:30, Friday June 22, 2007
Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar has revealed that he is stepping down after getting death threats linked to a gang he helped convict for a racist murder.
The 54-year-old, who was Britain's first Muslim MP, has told party activists he will not be contesting his Glasgow Central seat at the next election.
And he has revealed that his decision came after his family was threatened by a gang linked to racist murderers Imran Shahid, Zeeshan Shahid and Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq.
The three were jailed for life last year for their part in the killing of Glasgow teenager Kriss Donald, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in Glasgow in 2004.
Mr Sarwar used his high-level connections in Pakistan to arrange the extradition of the trio after they fled to Pakistan.
The MP said: "I was told they wanted to punish my family and make a horrible example of my son - they would do to him what they did to Kriss Donald. I received threats to my life, to murder my sons, to murder my grandchildren."
The killers were the main players in a violent gang that terrorised people in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow.
Mr Sarwar said that he knew what the consequences were in helping to bring the trio back to justice. But he maintained "it was the right thing to do."
The multimillionaire was first elected as MP for Glasgow Govan in 1997. In 2001 he was re-elected with an increased majority.
His eldest son Athif, 28, is awaiting sentence after being convicted for an £840,000 money laundering scam in April.
Mr Sarwar said his decision to step down had nothing to do with his son's conviction, which he is appealing against, but he wanted to stand down to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his charity work.
Scottish Labour Party leader Jack McConnell later paid tribute to the MP.
"Mohammad Sarwar made history and he made a real difference," he said.
"He and his family deserve a break - they can look back with pride on all he has achieved."
Politics is like a gift, you may guess what's inside, but you can't know for sure what is inside, only if you are one of the people who packed the gift. So we don't really know what is the whole story behind this guy, and this news etc.
Politics is like a gift, you may guess what's inside, but you can't know for sure what is inside, only if you are one of the people who packed the gift. So we don't really know what is the whole story behind this guy, and this news etc.
That's true. My guess would be that
His eldest son Athif, 28, is awaiting sentence after being convicted for an £840,000 money laundering scam in April
is rather more relevant than any 'death threats', let alone Sarwar being a muslim, but I had better stress to my knowledge there is no suggestion floating around that Sarwar himself was involved in any way.
As to muslim MPs all three major political parties are falling over themselves to increase the numbers of both women MPs and ethnic and religious minority MPs so I really doubt that has any relevance at all.
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