Can cricket bat lose you the right to stay in Belgium?

Last week Belgian police made a public announcement saying that they wanted to speak with a member of the public carrying what looked like a hunting rifle under his arm. The "weapon" wrapped in a sweatshirt turned out to be nothing more offensive than a cricket bat, but the alert now threatens to oblige the owner's family to return to their native Pakistan.

The young cricket player, 22-year-old Assim Abassi from Ukkel in Brussels, pictured in the photo publicised in the media by Belgian police is the son of a Pakistani diplomat. The youngster immediately reported to the Belgian police to clear up the matter, when a picture of him protecting his bat from the rain on the Louizalaan in Brussels appeared in the press.

However, the Pakistani embassy saw the fuss that the photo caused in the Belgian media and according to the Francophone broadcaster RTBF has sacked the young man's father on the spot. As a consequence the whole family could now lose their temporary residence permits!

The Abassis are now receiving support from many quarters. Ecologist lawmaker Zakia Khattabi now intends to raise the matter with the Prime Minister.  People who wish to support the Abassi Family can now like a page on facebook.

So far neither the Belgian authorities nor the Belgian police have uttered a word of apology, though the public prosecutor's office intends to contact the Pakistani embassy to put matters straight.

The RTBF report contains interviews in English.
 

(The photo is the one the police asked Belgian media to distribute.)

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