A BRADFORD man who is visually impaired and requires the aid of a guide dog claims he was “manhandled” and forced out of the Consulate of Pakistan, along with his dog, last week.

Yasar Atta, 22, was at the consulate, off Canal Road, with his family and his guide dog, Kassie. He claims that he and Kassie were forcibly removed from the premises, as staff argued that dogs were not allowed.

Mr. Atta said he often faces abuse when visiting his grandmother’s grave at Scholemoor Cemetery, as some people object to Kassie being there with him.

“I am so upset. I go to the graveyard since my grandma passed away every day. I was harassed by a guy. As soon as I got through the gates a man was shouting ‘Oi’ and said your dog is not allowed in here”, Mr. Atta told the Telegraph & Argus, just a couple of weeks ago.

The incident at the consulate, which happened on Friday, appears to be one that is eerily similar, and has only added to the stress Yasar says he feels.

“Inside the building, some children who were there came up to Kassie and stroked her. But then one staff member told me dogs weren’t allowed”, Yasar says.

“I explained that I’m blind and Kassie is a guide dog. I showed him my ID and all my information, but he refused to read it. Then things escalated and I got pushed out. After that, I called the police. It was out of order.”

Mr. Atta’s mum, Parveen Akhtar, explained that a staff member at the consulate did later apologise - but to her, and not to Mr. Atta.

“They should have apologised to Yasar, not to me”, she says.

“Yasar gets abuse, but it’s only uneducated people who give him problems. Kassie is my son’s eyes - I love her to bits. It was hard for me to see what they did to Yasar. Everyone needs to know this can’t be taken lightly.”

When asked for a comment, a spokesperson from the Consulate of Pakistan said, “Yasar was asked to take the dog out, because the children inside were frightened and also because there was not enough room. I’m not sure if our staff were aware that Yasar is blind. We apologised to his mother and everything was sorted. We are sorry for what happened.”

Mr. Atta suffers from Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy - a condition which caused him to lose his sight at the age of 14.

In 2015, he was the face of the Royal National College for the Blind’s I Can Belong campaign, celebrating the achievements of people with visual impairments.

On Sunday, Yasar was invited as a special guest at Bradford Bulls’ game against Featherstone, joined by his family.

His mum, Parveen, said, “Yasar and my daughter, Sanah, came home with big smiles on their faces, thanks to Bradford Bulls. They said they were treated like royalty. Thankfully, a lot of good people are supporting him.”