Pak high commission denies visa to actor Anupam Kher

New Delhi: Bollywood actor and BJP sympathiser Anupam Kher on Tuesday said he had been denied a visa by Pakistan to attend the annual Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) beginning Friday, even as the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi refuted this, saying he had never applied for any visa.

But despite the Pakistani official version, there was  apparently more than meets the eye.

Ameena Syed, the spokesperson for the KLF, told news agency PTI from Karachi that they had been advised by the Pakistan High  Commission in New Delhi to tell Kher not to submit a visa application as he would not be issued one, adding, “That is all we have been told. They told us that the remaining 17 guests invited from India should be asked to submit applications as they would be issued visas,” she said.

Sources in the Pakistan government were cited by news agency reports as saying in Karachi that since Kher is very much active and vocal in the social media on sensitive issues pertaining to religion and Indo-Pak relations, he was not asked to submit his application.

Kher meanwhile suggested in Mumbai that the Pakistani decision may have been influenced by his stand on the issue of Kashmiri Pandits and his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day prestigious event by the organisers but he said he is the only one who has been denied the visa.

The other 17 Indian participants who have been given the travel document included senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and actor Nandita Das, according to news agency reports from Karachi.

Rejecting the Pakistan High Commission’s contention that he had not applied for a visa, Kher called it a “laughable explanation”.

He said organisers had completed the formalities for the visa. “I do not know why they denied me the visa. Is it because of my patriotism, because I talk about my country? Is it because I do not go to that countryand criticise my country there? I do not speak the language of terrorists. There can be millions of reasons,” an anguished Kher was quoted as saying.

“I am very sad and disappointed that so many people were given visa but I was the only one who has been denied it. We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity,” Mr Kher was quoted as telling news agency PTI.

On the Pakistan High Commission’s claim that he had not applied for the visa, Kher said if it was true then how 17 others got the document and that why the organisers had put his name in their posters.

“They are telling a lie. I do not have to do it. The organisers had done it,” the actor said.

Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him. As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, “I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India or because of my pro-PM talk.”

He also told reporters in Mumbai, “I am not angry, I am hurt, upset and somewhere wanting to know the reason. Out of 18 why only I was singled out.

It could be either because ... I’ve spoken about the issue of intolerance, taken a stand and have applauded my PM. Otherwise, there is no logical reason why the visa was denied to me. This has happened for the third time,” Kher was quoted by news agencies as telling reporters in Mumbai.

Mr Kher, who has just been honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the government, on Tuesday said he was very “sad and disappointed” over the matter and wondered whether he was denied a visa for raising the issue of Kashmiri Pandits, supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for being a patriot.

When contacted, the Pakistan High Commission spokesperson Manzoor Memon however said Kher had never submitted visa application to the Pakistan High Commission. “So the question of issuing or denying him visa does not arise.”

Meanwhile, actress Nandita Das reportedly said the visa issue has been dogged by claims and counter-claims. Taking a dig at those who talked about intolerance in India, Kher said “those who had talked about intolerance in India should now come forward on this issue.”

He added, “I feel when there was an atmosphere of extending friendship from either sides, this is like a big speed breaker in a smooth operation which shouldn’t have come.” He further said, “I do not understand how can I be a security threat. I am not an extremist.”

But the organisers of the annual Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) said they are unaware of the reasons for rejection of visa to the actor. The KLF spokesperson said around 35 invitees from abroad are participating in the festival including from the US, Britain and Bangladesh besides India.

According to news agency reports, Kher was also denied a visa last year in May to visit Lahore on an invitation of a Pakistani NGO and security reasons were cited for the decision.

The actor said he would request the government to take up the issue with Pakistan, adding he had planned to speak about India, its tolerance among other issues.

KLF’s Sayed felt the Bollywood star’s presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective.

“We had organised an exclusive session for him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed. His coming here could have made such a difference. It might even have led to some change in his opinions or it might have changed or would have resulted in more understanding of his views, but it is only when you come face to face,” she was quoted as saying.