UK faces claims of border discrimination against Pakistanis

The UK is working to address claims that people of Pakistani origin are 52 times more likely to be stopped at its borders compared to other South Asians.
A report by the country's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found last month that stops under the Terrorism Act in 2010-11 - when divided under nine separate ethnic categories of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Chinese - revealed that those of Pakistani background were shown to have a highly disproportionate number of stops.
They were 135 times more likely to be questioned and examined for more than an hour and 154 times more likely to be detained.

"Schedule 7 (of the Terrorism Act 2000) is a vital border security power which helps the police, Security Service and other agencies detect and disrupt terrorist threats," the Home Office said in a statement, adding that it was working closely with the EHRC to tackle claims of discrimination.
It said the schedule directly led to about 20 prosecutions a year for terrorist-related offences between 2005 and 2009 and a number of key individuals have been convicted after being stopped at a port or airport.
"We are working with those responsible for these examinations to ensure they are following their own guidelines, which prohibit discrimination on ethnic grounds in the exercise of this power," the EHRC said.

Campaign groups in Britain, however, are now calling for an urgent review of Schedule 7.

"Stop-and-searches are happening based on stereotyping rather than being intelligence-led. We need more checks and balances in the operation of this measure," Ratna Lachman of JUST West Yorkshire, an organisation that promotes racial justice, civil liberties and human rights, told the BBC.
Figures show that 53,992 people were stopped as they left or entered the UK in 2012-13.
Those who were Asian were 11.3 times more likely to be stopped than those who were white.
Those who were black were 6.3 times more likely to be stopped and those who were mixed race were 3.6 times more likely to be stopped.

The UK government had carried out a review of Schedule 7 powers in 2012, including a public consultation and introduced a number of reforms, which are currently going through Parliament.
These include allowing those held for longer than an hour to consult a solicitor, a reduction in the time someone can be held from nine hours to six hours, and training and accreditation for all officers using Schedule 7 powers.