Foreign Policy Snafu- Denial of US Visa to Gujarat Chief Minister, India

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Foreign Policy Snafu- Denial of US Visa to Gujarat Chief Minister, India

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 14:00:23 -0500

INDIA AWARENESS FOUNDATION

4500 NORTHSIDE DR., ATLANTA, GA 30327

TEL: 770-664-8779 FAX: 770-664-8780

E-MAIL: <SIARAM

 

March 20, 2005

 

Dear Mr. President,

 

As US citizens of Indian origin, we are outraged and appalled by the US

government’s decision on March 17, 2005 to not only deny Gujarat Chief Minister

Narendra Modi a diplomatic visa, but also to revoke his pre-existing

tourist/business visa.

 

Mr. Modi was denied/(cancelled) by the US State Department US Visa under “the

section 212(a)(2))(G) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act which prohibits

the admission to the US of any foreign Government official responsible to

serious violations of the religion freedom”. The specific section cited actually

states: “Any alien who, while serving as a foreign Government official, was

responsible for or directly carried out, at any time during the preceding

24-month period, particularly severe violations of religious freedom, as defined

in Section 3 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and the spouse

and children, if any, are inadmissible.”

 

The premeditated and provocative Godhra massacre of gruesomely killing and

burning alive 58 innocent Hindu pilgrims, mainly women and children, by more

than 2000 fundamentalist Islamists by setting a train compartment on fire in the

early morning and the subsequent riots happened during the last days of February

and early March of 2002, almost 36 months ago. This means that the State

Department has violated the above stated American Law for not allowing Mr. Modi

the entry into US because not 24 months but 36 months have lapsed since the

above event. Notwithstanding the wrongful application of this US Law by the

State Department, Mr. Modi, constitutionally elected in the world’s largest

democracy, has neither been charged with nor found guilty of being “responsible

for or (having) directly carried out particularly severe violations of religious

freedom” by any court of law in India. Even the Justices Nanavati-Shah

Commission of inquiry has not yet submitted its report.

 

Under the circumstances, we respectfully demand a thorough investigation of this

diplomatic snafu and request you to grant Mr. Modi a diplomatic visa and return

his tourist/business visa immediately.

 

In this connection, we also like to bring to your attention that several

organizations linked to fundamentalist Islamists, Jihadis and the

Marxists/leftists operating in USA have launched a virulent and malicious

hateful campaign against Mr. Modi. Needlessly, US Congressman Joe Pitts added

fuel to fire by asking the State Department to deny visa to Mr. Modi. His

letter is filled with innuendoes, half truths, and epitomizes blatant disregard

for facts on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Mr. Modi’s actions in response to those

riots. While we condemn violence of any kind, we are irate at the gross

misrepresentation of facts presented in Congressman Pitts’ letter. Congressman

Pitts has undermined the healthy growth of friendly relations between USA and

India.

 

Some of the wild allegations made by Congressman Pitts cannot stand to scrutiny.

Congressman Pitts repeatedly accuses Mr. Modi of permitting violence. The

results of The Council of International Affairs and Human Rights investigation

exonerate Mr. Modi of this accusation and clearly demonstrate that Mr. Modi

acted quickly and effectively to stop the violence. The riots flared up on

February 27 and it became apparent that the police were outnumbered by the mobs.

The following day, Mr. Modi urgently requested the assistance of the Indian

army, which was stationed at the India-Pakistan border. Despite the border

tensions, one brigade of the Indian army landed in Gujarat in less than 24

hours. A second brigade was deployed by March 1. Historically, it is a well

known fact that once the mob frenzy starts, it takes some time for the executive

authorities to control such riots. The LA riots were brought under control only

after several days even though entire state machinery was used to put them down.

 

Furthermore, contrary to Congressman Pitts’ allegations that Mr. Modi incited

additional violence against Muslims, the Gujarat state police rescued nearly

10,000 Muslims within the first few days and the government made arrangements

for Muslim prayers on Friday. Nearly 6,000 Muslim pilgrims who were returning

to Gujarat from Haj were provided full protection on their journey for 12 days.

More Hindus, not Muslims, died in the first few days of the riot from police

firing.

 

Moreover, it is necessary to once again correct Congressman Pitts’ fact

regarding the Indian Supreme Court’s order to reopen of all 2000 riot cases.

The Supreme Court has only ordered the reopening of only a few cases. As a

matter of fact, in Best Bakery case, the main witness “ Zaheera was declared

hostile on December 21 last year by a special court after she went back on her

statement given to the police. This followed her statements given in Vadodara

that she had been threatened by her mentor and activist Teesta Setalvad” (head

of two anti-Hindu communist organizations, Sabrang and Communalism Combat).

“Zaheera said she was asked by Ms Setalvad to make allegations of pressure while

deposing during the trial in Vadodara.” (The Economic Times, March 12, 2005)

(Http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/997129.cms)

 

Congressman Pitt’s allegations about promotion of ‘racial supremacy, racial

hatred and legacy of Nazism’ through a high school text book by Narendra Modi

and his government are factually incorrect and highly misleading. “The fact, on

the other hand, is that the book was prepared, published and enlisted as a

prescribed textbook in 1992 when neither Mr Modi nor the BJP was anywhere near

power in Gujarat which was then ruled by the Congress. Mr Modi, on becoming

Chief Minister, had this particular textbook removed from the list of prescribed

schoolbooks”(Kanchan Gupta, Pioneer, 3/20/05).

 

Another wild allegation of Congressman Pitts about harassment of the Christian

community in the state by Mr. Modi does not stand to scrutiny. The truth is that

many of these Christian organizations are involved in proselytizing of peace

loving tribal Hindus by deceptive practices not only in Gujarat but in other

Indian states which create conflicts between them and the Christians. No

sovereign state can allow such blatant misuse of freedom by external disruptive

forces supported and financed from abroad.

 

The State Department has used the findings of fact by the Indian NHRC (National

Human Rights Commission) as authority in rejecting the diplomatic visa and

canceling the existing tourist/business visa of Mr. Modi. NHRC reports are not

legally binding and are subject to judicial scrutiny. Surprisingly, the same

State Department has ignored NHRC’s reports on countries promoting cross-border

terrorism that violets human rights of Indians.

 

How is that the State Department does not take into consideration the Human

Rights Watch’s denunciation of countries such as Saudi Arabia and China while

granting diplomatic visas to these countries’ leaders? Human Rights Watch

clearly states that “human rights violations are pervasive in Saudi

Arabia…arbitrary detention, mistreatment and torture of detainees, restrictions

on freedom of movement, and lack of official accountability remain serious

concerns”. In regards to China, Human Rights Watch writes that China “remains a

highly repressive state” and continuously violates “rights to free expression,

association and assembly, religion and belief [and] repress[es] minorities in

Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia.” How, then, did the State Department

justify denying the democratically elected chief minister, Mr. Modi a visa while

permitting Saudi Princes and Chinese ministers to enter the US? President

Clinton’s autobiography has clearly recorded that President Mushraff of Pakistan

was responsible for starting the brutal Kargill war in Jammu & Kashmir region

which could have resulted in a nuclear holocaust on the Indian subcontinent.

Besides, there are still a quarter million Kashmiri Hindus rendered homeless and

living in refugee camps in India due to proxy terrorism conducted by the

Pakistani government across the border and yet President Musharaff travels back

and forth to USA as US State guest. The great nationalist leader of Israel, Mr.

Arial Sharon was branded several years ago by the world media as a ‘butcher of

Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon’ and yet the State

Department has never denied him US Visa. How come the State Department has not

used the same law against Mr. Gary Adams of IRA, a known persecutor of a

religious people of Ireland, in granting US visa? We consider the highhanded

erroneous decision of the Sate Department in denying entry to Mr. Modi into US

smacks of hypocrisy and double standards by USA which will seriously effect the

US-Indo relations for a long time to come.

 

There are approximately 2 million Indian Americans who have made outstanding and

significant contributions towards the progress of America. They have excelled in

space, information technology, medicine, science, engineering, finance,

education, business and many other fields. This senseless action by the US State

Department has angered this important component of US citizenry. Such wounds

take a long to heel and thus it is imperative that corrective and redemptive

actions are set in place immediately.

 

We the American citizens of the Indian origin once again urge you to immediately

reinstate his visa so that he can travel in USA with respect and dignity.

 

Thanking you,

 

Sincerely,

 

Dhiru Shah

President,

India Awareness Foundation

 

CC: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, US State Department

Mr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India