We are not racists: Oz High Commissioner

TOUGH ON TERRORISM: McCarthy said Australia was acting upon UK authority’s request.

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New Delhi: The Australian High Commissioner to India John McCarthy has denied allegations of racism in handling the case of detained Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef.

Countering charges of human rights violations in the way Haneef was handled in Australia, he said the Australian government was simply acting upon the UK authority’s request.

Speaking to CNN-IBN’s Suhasini Haidar, he said “We didn’t have any choice. This is a case that was brought to our attention by UK authorities - we then acted upon it.”

McCarthy also denied the Australian government’s decision to revoke his visa despite Haneef being given bail in the Brisbane magistrate’s court amounted to racism.

"There is not a hint of racism that I have discerned in the treatment that has been accorded to Dr Mohammad Haneef. I would also say that we have reiterated that Indian doctors have been invaluable to the medical profession of Australia and that has continued to be our view," he said.

"This is not an issue of racism at all. It's an issue about terrorism," he added.

When asked if the Indian government official note of concern and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s plea for a fair trial was unwarranted, he said he was not surprised.

“You have an Indian citizen involved. You have to look after the rights of Indian overseas. This case has a high profile. It’s totally consistent with diplomatic practice for the Foreign Ministry to ask to see me. But I would argue that he is being treated fairly. The laws under which he is being treated are terrorism laws and those are tough laws in a lot of countries, but I would argue strongly that he is being treated according to the law," McCarthy said.