For Would Be Debbie’s Abraham’s Message From India is Very Clear : Any Misbehaviour Will Receive A Boot
Press, International or National can keep printing any thing they want on the recently aborted visit of British MP Deborah Abrahams to India which as it is turned out to be a non-visit. Instead of becoming a visitor to India, the arrogant MP was turned into a deportee at the Indira Gandhi airport. She has been properly labelled as an India baiter whom the Indians will always remember, till she officially announces in the British Parliament that she will henceforth stop poking her nose to internal affairs of India.
Indian officials have pointed to two grounds, as a totally considered action to the point of even appearing rude deliberately, to refuse the British MP entry into India.. One, that her visa had been cancelled on Feb 14, three days before she landed up. Two, that hers was a business visa, and meeting friends and relatives that she declared to be the purpose of the visit, is not business. Though she and her supporters can keep debating whether family business can be covered by a business visa, it will make no difference to India.
Her visa had been cancelled well before she boarded a flight to Delhi, so it’s not clear why she then boarded the flight. The fact was communicated to her, period. She certainly can keep denying regarding receipt of communication, it will be of no consequences. India will not permit such visitors.
In fact this move of hers has been made deliberately to provoke just the kind of reaction from India that she received. As per a section of the media, Debbie Abrahams did not respond to several requests for comments.
She and her supporters think that the refusal on part of India to permit her entry has worked out remarkably well in PR terms for the MP. She thinks that what could she possibly have done over the course of two days in Delhi to draw as much attention to her mission as she got through attempting to come and then going nowhere from there. She can continue being happy over this. We in India too are of the view that a clear message has gone to all other MPs in the British parliament that if they try and play such “ GREAT GAMES “ with India, they need to be prepared to receive a boot.
Whatever the facts about the visa, and the communication of any decision over it, even next such visitor will be handled exactly like this. Any diplomatic handling is only for those who deserve it in case a genuine mistake is made by them. The immigration officer was given an alert directing him to refuse entry. Permission was to be refused no matter what and we are certainly not going to be apologetic about it.
Debbie Abrahams’s position on Kashmir and on Article 370 were known to the government, though she was still granted a visa in October last year, even when it was known that she headed the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir. Since October, it was envisaged that if Debbie was interested in visiting India, then she would accordingly apologies for her behaviour or at least tone down her utterances to diplomatically acceptable level. This could have been a chance to present that improved behaviour of hers, even if there was no apology. It’s now time for India to hit back at the critics and not turn the other cheek to them.
The Pakistanis can welcome her with a red carpet. The MP won’t be treated in India like her Majesty as she is being treated in Pakistan. Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi himself welcomed her when Abrahams arrived in Pakistan a day later. But all that makes no difference to India.
