This is not the first time the Centre has intervened on visas. Earlier this month, the US embassy had denied visas to three Muslim scribes who were travelling with the PM to Pittsburgh.
Timely intervention by the prime minister’s office will allow BJP parliamentiarian Shahnawaz Hussain to attend the 64th UN General Assembly session.
The MP from Bihar is part of the six-member group of parliamentarians chosen by the government to represent the country at the session. While the other five were granted visas, the US embassy, curiously, held back permission in Hussain’s case citing “administrative processing” reasons.
This is not the first time the government has intervened on granting visas. Earlier this month, three Muslim journalists travelling with prime minister Manmohan Singh to Pittsburgh suffered a fate similar to that of Hussain. While the embassy readily granted visas to other members of the media delegation, it withheld permission for the three Muslims.
It was only after the MEA intervened that the journalists were granted visas at the eleventh hour.
The PMO’s intervention came after leader of the opposition LK Advani telephoned prime minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to intervene on behalf of his party MP. While the other five MPs left for New York on Monday night, Hussain had to cool his heels in the capital.
On Tuesday morning, he got a call from the MEA informing him that the US embassy has granted him the visa. Though he sounded relieved, Shahnawaz Hussain said the experience has left a bitter taste in his mouth, “I have travelled several times to the USA, both as a minister in the NDA government as well as in my personal capacity. I have no doubt that my visa was held back because of my name. This kind of discrimination and profiling of people is not acceptable.”
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