Planning Commission former official Syeda Hameed denied UK visa
Syeda Hameed, author and Padma Shri laureate, has said the UK government denied her a three-day visa to the country, forcing her to cancel a lecture on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a leader of India’s freedom movement, in London’s Nehru Centre.
Syeda Hameed, author and Padma Shri laureate, has said the UK government denied her a three-day visa to the country, forcing her to cancel a lecture on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a leader of India’s freedom movement, in London’s Nehru Centre.
Hameed was to speak at the three-day event starting November 22, organised by UK’s Ilmi Majlis, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Nehru Centre, UK, the Indian high commission’s cultural wing.
A former Planning Commission member and a scholar on Azad, Hameed said she was upset to know the grounds on which her application was rejected.
“They said there was no proof that I was a writer. They said they were unsure about who would support me there during the trip.”
Hameed, who a key policymaker on minorities in the UPA administration, said the grounds were very “frivolous”.
She has published over a dozen books.
The British High Commission declined a comment. “We don’t comment on individual visa cases,” an official said.
Hameed, who has visited UK earlier, said she was keen on the visit because Azad’s role as a freedom fighter, his scholarship on Islam and a modernist outlook was important to share with the western world.
Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.