TONY Khan claims he is a Taliban target in his native Pakistan after he declared himself an atheist.

The 25-year-old says his strict Muslim family turned against him and he will face certain death if he is sent back.

He is homeless and penniless and has spent two years living at a night shelter in Glasgow.

Mr Khan would like to be given asylum status but admits he is "not sure how to go about it".

He said: "Before I went to the night shelter I didn't have a single friend in the entire country. My only priority was survival.

"I wasn't bothered about food or cleanliness. I just wanted to get a roof over my head. It was a nightmare for me.

"I still have no money whatsoever. The stereotype is that we can claim benefits. Before I came here I had no idea there was a benefits system. I want to work but I can't."

Mr Khan is now among the homeless people from overseas who walk the streets of Glasgow each day.

He said: "What I do depends on the day of the week. Monday to Friday I can go to libraries. Some churches offer facilities where I can have a shower.

"Some charities will give asylum seekers a cup of tea and beans on toast for free. You're not allowed anything fancy.

"On Sunday there is literally nothing to do. It's the worst day of the week for everyone. Most of the libraries are shut on Sundays.

"You just have to wander about. Sometimes it's freezing cold and raining. It is very hard for people."

Mr Khan insists he could be killed if he was to return to his family home in Pakistan.

He said: "I was raised in

Karachi and my family roots are in Waziristan, the tribal area. I had a very unpredictable

relationship with my father when

I was growing up.

"I was always confused about religion but it was imposed as the only way of life. I didn't have a choice or the freedom to have my own opinions about it.

"I was twenty when I came to the UK to study law. It was only when I came over here I could see things differently. I decided I am an atheist.

"That's when I started to have even more conflict with people back home, like my father, who said I was in a blasphemous country. He started asking me

to come back.

"Then I was getting phone calls from members of the Taliban. I am here so I was confident enough to say I am not coming back because there is no doubt that I'd be killed.

"I also heard there is an arrest warrant out for me on terrorism charges. The local political party are anti-Pashtun people. There is a series of targeted killing going on. They are murdering people who look like Pashtuns or have lighter skin. My father also told them that I am involved in terrorist

activities. Possibly the phone calls were used as a reference to prove I was talking to the Taliban.

"At that time They said I had betrayed them and I would be stoned to death, so I am a target for both sides."

Read: Hero veteran who sleeps in his car is now a "priority group" for housing

Read: 'Give our failed asylum seekers help they need'