British MP Debbie Abrahams Ran Sustained Anti-India Campaign, Says MEA

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday said that British MP Debbie Abrahams has run a sustained campaign against India. It is to be noted that Debbie Abrahams was denied entry to India and deported to Dubai on Monday.

Raveesh Kumar said Abrahams did not have a valid visa when she arrived at Delhi’s IGI Airport on Monday. On being asked about her statements in favour of Pakistan, Raveesh Kumar said, "When she was coming to India, she did not have a valid visa. She came here without a valid visa and with all respect she was sent back. We believe that her views and statements are anti-India."

"There has been a sustained campaign from her side against India. She was here to meet family and friends, but even if her visa had been valid it was an e-Business visa. Even if we presume that she had a visa, that was issued for a business ETA and business ETA cannot be used for a primary purpose of meeting family and friends," he added.

The statement from MEA comes after the Labour Party MP had said that despite having a valid visa she was denied entry into India after she landed at the airport. Abrahams, who is an Opposition Labour Party MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir, claimed she was travelling on a valid e-visa to India to visit family and friends but her visa was revoked without explanation.

It is worth mentioning here that she was among a group of British MPs who issued formal letters expressing concerns over the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 in August last year.

"We are gravely concerned at the announcement by Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, has been removed by Presidential Order," the Opposition MP had said in her letter.

Also Read: Visa Row Intensifies: Now, Government Sources Say British Lawmaker Debbie Abrahams Indulged In Anti-India Activities

As mentioned earlier, Abrahams was denied entry to India and deported to Dubai on Monday. Her e-Business visa was revoked. According to the government sources, Abrahams was deported from New Delhi airport because of her anti-India activities. Asserting that the grant, rejection or revocation of a visa or electronic travel authorisation is the sovereign right of a country, the sources said Abrahams was issued an e-Business visa on October 7 last year which was valid till October 5, 2020 for attending business meetings.

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