Indian officials denied British MP and lawyer Alexander Carlile entry into the country, as he arrived at the Delhi airport without an appropriate visa. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, he was trying to create problems in Indo-Bangladesh ties.
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Alexander Carlile, who is also a lawyer, now represents former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The officials in Home Ministry were of the view that, Carlile wanted to indulge in “political acts” by addressing a press conference which was in violation of his visa conditions.
Ministry of External affairs responded to this incident and said that his activity in India was “incompatible” with the purpose of his visit as mentioned in his visa application. “What he intended to do is now very clear when you go through the statement he wanted to make. He applied for a business visa, what kind of business is this,” Kumar said.
It is said that the British MP was informed in advance about his invalid e-visa, but still intended to visit India. The officials suspected the motivation of the British MP, as he was trying to create some kind of a misunderstanding between India and the opposition party BNP, which is led by Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh.
Carlile, who was held at the airport, addressed the press via video-conference from the UK, and he alleged that he was denied entry into India due to pressure from the Bangladeshi government. He also claimed that the Indian government failed to give him any “true reason” for not letting him into the country by revoking his visa.
He said that the charges which are made against Zia were politically motivated and there was “no admissible evidence” against the former Prime Minister. He replied to the MEA’s statements that his visit was not compatible with the purpose of the visit mentioned in his visa, as “completely untrue” and “lie”
The MEA spokesperson said, “You want to come in and you want to say something from Indian soil. You could have done this from London. There is a bit of a suspicion there, the intention itself is a bit doubtful. If he is coming to India, he has to respect the laws of the land and that is true for any other country,” he said.
But, Carlile claimed that he had a valid business e-visa, which was granted several days before his visit to the country by the Indian government. He said he was coming to Delhi for two reasons, to attend a press briefing to speak about the case filed against Zia and also to meet colleagues in a Commonwealth body that deals with human rights.
According to the reports, India does not have any problems with the BNP or Khaleda Zia as such. The Sheikh Hasina government has done extremely well in tackling anti-Indian elements in Bangladesh. The elections in Bangladesh are due in the next six months, hence India does not want to take any chances, as it is safer not to be identified with either of the two parties.