The Ministry of External Affairs said the action was taken because of his "inappropriate" visa.
British MP Lord Alexander Carlile was turned back from the Delhi airport soon after he landed from London on Wednesday night. The legal consultant to jailed former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia was to share with media "baseless" allegations against her.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the action was taken because of his "inappropriate" visa.
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the MP had mentioned 'business' as the purpose of his visit, but it was found he was planning a press conference. "The right to grant visa is the sole prerogative of a country," he said.
Soon after reaching London, Carlile held a video press briefing, and said his impression of India being a democratic and liberal country has got wounded. He said there were only two options in the visa form: tourism or business. He said his work in India fitted in the business category.
He charged that India government had buckled under pressure from Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, who has been "victimising" the Opposition.
Kumar said the MP was trying to create problems between India and Bangladesh. "And he was also trying to create a misunderstanding between the Indian government and the opposition parties in Bangladesh. You (Carlile) are using Indian soil. What you wanted to say here you could have done from London. There is a bit of suspicion. The intention itself is doubtful. If coming to India then you must respect the law of the land," Kumar said.
In his video briefing from London, Carlile said he wanted an explanation from the Indian government for denying him entry. "The Indian government knew perfectly well why I was going there. This is no way to treat a 70-year-old senior lawyer and Parliamentarian. I am outraged by the political interference in Khaleda Zia's case," he said. He described the MEA arguments untrue.
Carlile was appointed to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader's legal team in March this year. She has three dozen criminal cases against her. She was convicted in the first case in February this year. She was sentenced to five years in jail for stealing $ 253,000 in foreign donations received by an orphanage trust set up when she was PM for the last time, from 2001 to 2006.
Carlile said because he was not permitted to come to Dhaka, he wanted to hold a press conference in India "to explain the complexities in her case to the international media community".
Back And Forth
The MEA said the action was taken because of his “inappropriate” visa. But, legal consultant to jailed former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia was to share with media “baseless” allegations against her
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