Shahnawaz fails to get US visa for UN session

Shahnawaz Hussain,BJPs prominent Muslim face and MP,has failed to get a US visa on time for attending a UN General Assembly...

Shahnawaz Hussain,BJPs prominent Muslim face and MP,has failed to get a US visa on time for attending a UN General Assembly session as part of a parliamentary delegation. Hussain was to accompany Congress MPs Girija Vyas and Sanjay Nirupam,JD (U)s Ali Anwar and DMKs T K S Elangovan as part of the Indian delegation to attend the 64th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session being held from October 20 to 31.

Sources close to Hussain said that he had been denied a visa because of his popular name,clearly alluding to the popular Muslim surname Hussain used all over the world. Hussain has,however,travelled to the USA at least thrice as a Union Minister,and the Indian delegation,that left for New York late on Monday,includes another Muslim MP – JD (U)s Ali Anwar.

Hussain told The Indian Express: Our passports were given to the embassy authorities by the MEA. Other MPs got their visas before Diwali. One of the MPs (T K S Elangovan) gave his passport at a later date,but was still able to get his visa in time. I want to know the administrative issues that delayed my visa.

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MEA sources,however,said that Hussain had not been denied a visa and that they were in touch with the US embassy over the matter. A US embassy spokesperson,refusing to be identified,said: We dont comment on individual visa cases.

When asked whether he had been a victim of religious profiling,Hussain said he had been told by officials in the MEA that some popular names underwent scrutiny in the US for a visa. He said it was for India to take up the issue with the US as he was part of an official delegation. He is learnt to have taken up the matter with BJP leadership. PTI