BRITISH MP DENIED ENTRY INTO INDIA
NEW DELHI: A British MP who chairs a parliamentary group on Kashmir was denied entry into India on arrival at the New Delhi airport on Monday, with officials saying she had been informed in advance of her e-visa’s cancellation.
Debbie Abrahams, the Labour Party MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth since 2011 and chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Kashmir from 2018, and her aide Harpreet Uppal arrived at the airport in an Emirates flight from Dubai at 9am.
A statement issued on her behalf said Abrahams, 59, was told by immigration officials her e-visa, issued last October and valid till October 2020, had been rejected. She said the officials didn’t cite any reasons for denying her entry.
An official of the home ministry, who asked not to be named, said Abrahams’ e-visa “was cancelled and she was informed regarding the decision in advance”. He added that “she didn’t have the visa when she landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport.”
Another official, who too didn’t want to be named, said Abrahams was denied entry as she “was not in possession of a valid visa to visit India”.
Abrahams was put on a return flight to the UK in the afternoon. Responding to reports she didn’t possess a valid visa, she tweeted: “I’m sorry but that just is not the reality.”
She intended to make a personal visit to New Delhi to meet Indian relatives before travelling to Pakistan for a three-day official visit as a member of the all party parliamentary group for Kashmir. Abrahams told the UK media she “wouldn’t be surprised” if the denial of entry was linked with her work with the group.