New Delhi
31 May 2008
The detention and deportation of Mr Ansar Burney, a former human rights
minister from Pakistan, turned curiouser with the ministries of home affairs and external
affairs not able to satisfactorily explain why a man, who had called on Union Minister of
Home Affairs Shivraj Patil and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon here only a month
ago, should be treated like persona non grata.
Mr Burney was detained immediately after his Emirates flight landed at the Indira Gandhi
International Airport on Friday evening. After making Mr Burney wait for over 90 minutes
at the airport, the immigration authorities asked him to leave by the same airliner.
He was to take part in a conference to be organised here on Sunday by Jama Masjid
United Forum. Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, Prof Sibghatullah
Mojaddedi, Speaker of Senate of Afghanistan, and other delegates from home and
abroad are expected to address the conference.
The Ministry of External Affairs, which thought Mr Burney's deportation could have been
a mistake, has sought details from the Ministry of Home Affairs. For its part, the Ministry
of Home Affairs has said Mr Burney might have been sent back because of a "look-out
notice" against him. It was trying to ascertain why advisory had not been updated in the
airports' computer network.
Mr Burney, who has since reached London, did not respond to the calls made on his
telephone. His brother, Sarim Burney, said in a telephonic conversation from Pakistan
that Mr Ansar's deportation was puzzling at the least. "My brother was only serving the
cause of peace, friendship and insaaniyat (humanity)," Mr Sarim told this newspaper.
Jama Masjid United Forum President Syed Yahya Bukhari told this newspaper he was
shocked and angry at the treatment meted out to his friend and guest. Mr Bukhari had
gone to the airport to personally receive Mr Burney. "He was detained in a room. Nobody
cared to offer him tea or water. I asked several times why he has been detained but
nobody was ready to speak," Mr Bukhari recalled.
"Mr Ansar Burney is a friend of India and it is a fact that he worked hard for securing the
release of Kashmir Singh and also for getting the Government of Pakistan to postpone
the death sentence awarded to Sarabjit Singh. Detaining him and deporting him is a
setback to the path of friendship and India-Pakistan relations," Mr Bukhari added.
For his part, Mr Burney told PTI he was asked to sign on his deportation papers and
hurriedly packed into the Emirates flight. Refuting reports which suggested he may not
have valid visa to travel to India, Mr Burney said: "I had come on a valid SAARC visa
issued to prominent citizens".
"As I landed at the Delhi airport in Flight EK 514, I approached the immigration counter
where the officer was very happy to see me. However, as soon as he put my passport
through the scanner machine, his smile vanished and he asked me to sit in one of the
officers' room. I tried to inquire about the delay but was assigned no reason till two
immigration officials accompanied by Emirate Airlines staff came and informed we that
there were orders from higher ups of not to allow me into the country," he recalled.
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