CHANDIGARH: Two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, whose entry to Canada was denied at Ottawa Airport on July 21, 2018, are now eligible to enter Canada at any time in future.
This development has come to light with the second letter of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana K P Singh.
Expressing serious concern over the discourteous treatment to AAP MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa at the Canadian Airport, Speaker Rana K P Singh wrote to the External Affairs Minister for an action in the matter on July 25.
In the letter to the Speaker, the Union Minister said that the Indian High Commission in Ottawa has strongly raised this matter with the Canadian Government, seeking the circumstances and reasons for this deplorable action by the Canadian immigration authorities.
She further wrote, "I have been informed that the Canadian Border Services Agency has conveyed to our Mission in Ottawa that due to privacy legislation they are unable to provide further details in the matter.
However, they have also conveyed that Mr Kultar Singh and Mr Amarjit Singh are eligible to return to Canada, if they choose to do so, at any future time.
"We will continue to pursue such matters with the Canadian side to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future. I also urge you to kindly ensure that Government of India's guidelines on foreign travels are followed by Legislators in the future and Our Mission and Posts in Canada are kept informed about such travels", she added.
Expressing gratitude for the External Affairs Minister's efforts in the matter, Rana K P Singh has advised all the MLAs to follow the prescribed procedure for their visit to abroad including obtaining of political clearance from the ministry of external affairs and providing prior information to Indian Missions abroad, even for their private visits.