US Responds To Claims Of India's Denial Of Australian Journalist's Visa (image@AvaniDias)Washington rebuked Pakistan reporter’s question regarding the allegations of Avani Dias, the Australian journalist’s claims on India not allowing to cover the general election. US said it is up to India to decide which non-citizens it should allow to enter, either as short-term travellers or international journalists.
The US State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that New Delhi can speak to its own visa policy. He was responding to a Pakistani reporter who asked to comment on allegations of India denying visa to the Australian reporter.
Patel further said that the role of free press comes under the fabric of democracy. He said, “broadly, we have been clear with countries around the world about the integral role that a free press plays in the fabric of democracy. That’s why we come up here and take questions regularly. But I will let the officials in India speak”.
The South Asian Correspondent of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News, Avani Dias said that she was forced leave India as, “Modi’s party, the government wouldn’t even give me the passes I need to cover the election and the ministry left it all so late, that we were already packed up and ready to go”.
She said that the Indian government made the announcement days after it blocked Dias reporting of the killing of Sikh separatists Hardeep Singh Najjar in Canada last year. Dias was notified about the decision via a phone call from an official at the Ministry of External Affairs, who claimed that her recent Foreign Correspondent episode “crossed a line”.
India overturned the decision and renewed Dias’ visa for two months after weeks of lobbying by Australian diplomats and office of the Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. The decision was overturned in less than 24 hours before Dias was due to leave the country.
Vedant Patel also denied to comment on the reported internal investigation by the Indian government on the murder of pro-Khalistani worker Gurpawant Singh Pannun. He said, “I’m not aware of the report that you’re referencing. This is ultimately a Department of Justice matter and I will defer to them and let them speak to this”.