In a shocking diplomatic gaffe, the aftershocks of which are yet to be ascertained, British Member of Parliament Debbie Abrahams was not allowed to enter the country and deported from the airport itself. It is noteworthy that Abrahams has been critical of the Indian government’s decision to abrogate article 370 and strip Kashmir of its autonomy.
Abrahams is the Labour MP for Oldham and East Saddleworth and also chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir. The BBC reported that last August Abrahams had written to the UK Foreign secretary expressing grave concerns about the manner in which the Indian government went about abrogating article 370 saying that it “betrayed the trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
She was in India on a personal visit and her plane landed in New Delhi at 8:50 AM. The official reason for not allowing her entry was that her visa had expired. Indian authorities say that Abraham’s visa had expired and that she had been informed well in advance about it. However, Abraham says her visa had been renewed last October and was valid till October this year insisting that it was revoked later by the Indian government.
Taking to twitter Abrahams said, “Just to be clear, I have Indian relatives who I was meant to be visiting with & have Indian members of staff accompanying me. The reason I got into politics is advance social justice & human rights FOR ALL. I will continue to challenge my own Government & others on these issues.” She also tweeted, “Why did the Indian Government revoke my visa AFTER it was granted? Why didn’t they let me get a ‘visa on arrival’? Is it because I have been critical of the Indian Government on #Kashmir human rights issues?”
Abrahams got support from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor who tweeted, “British MP Who Criticised Govt on J&K Stopped At Airport: conduct really unworthy of a democracy &guaranteed to give us a far worse press than if she had been admitted. Govt claims situation is normal in Kashmir. Why is the govt then so scared of critics?”
But, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi backed her deportation tweeting, “The deportation of Debbie Abrahams by India was indeed necessary, as she is not just an MP, but a Pak proxy known for her clasp with e Pak govt and ISI. Every attempt that tries to attack India’s sovereignty must be thwarted.”