Two AAP MLAs declared eligible to visit Canada: Speaker

Two AAP MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa, who were denied entry to Canada in July this year have been declared eligible to visit that country, Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh said Tuesday.

Singh made the statement after receiving a letter from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The two members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, who were denied entry to Canada at Ottawa Airport on July 21, 2018, are eligible to visit the country at any time in future," said Singh, in a official statement.

Canadian authorities had denied Sandhwan and Sandoa entry to Canada after they landed at Ottawa international airport, following which they had to return to India.

At that time Speaker Singh had raised the matter with the Union minister.

In her letter to theSpeaker, Swaraj said the Indian High Commission in Ottawa had strongly raised the matter with the Canadian government, seeking the circumstances and reasons for their immigration authorities' action.

"I have been informed that the Canadian Border Services Agency has conveyed to our Mission in Ottawa that due to privacy legislations, they are unable to provide further details in the matter," she told Singh in her letter.

"They have, however, conveyed that Kultar Singh and Amarjit Singh are eligible to return to Canada if they choose to do so in future," she said.

''We will continue to pursue such matters with the Canadian side to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future," she added.

The Union minister, in her letter, also sought to caution the legislators visiting abroad to ensure that Government of India's guidelines on foreign travels are followed by them in the future and the Indian missions and posts aborad are kept informed about their travels.

The Punjab speaker, in turn, advised MLAs to follow the prescribed procedure for their visits abroad including obtaining political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs and providing prior information to Indian missions abroad, even during their private visits.