London, Aug. 15: India high commission’s visa policy for Britons of Pakistani origin has come under severe criticism in Britain.
Robert Wintemute, a professor of human rights law at the King’s College, London, writing for the Guardian, described the visa rules racist and called for an immediate change in the Indian visa policy.
The Indian high commission changed its visa policy after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and it takes 2-3 working days for visas to be processed for UK nationals. However, the British activists are objecting to different set of rules for British citizens of Pakistani origin.
“Processing time of applications received from persons of Pakistani origin, including British citizens, will be minimum 7-8 weeks,” according to the Indian high commission website.
Describing the Indian government’s rules as “racist” and comparing them with the Nazi treatment of Jewish citizens of pre-War Germany, Prof. Wintemute said: “Looking behind a British passport and treating an individual differently, because they or their parents were born in Pakistan, is direct or indirect racial discrimination violating UK, European and international human rights law. It cannot be justified under any circumstances, because it is a first step down a very slippery slope of racism.”
He said that India needed to review its visa rules immediately. “India’s decision to punish British (US, Canadian and other) citizens of Pakistani origin, by making it extremely difficult for them to travel to India, will do nothing to help resolve its conflict with Pakistan. On the contrary, it will cause ill will.