India refuses entry to British lawmaker critical of Kashmir policy

A British lawmaker, who chairs an all-party group on Kashmir, has been denied entry to India after she criticised the government’s decision to strip the disputed region region of its constitutional autonomy. 

Debbie Abrahams, a member of parliament for the opposition Labour party, landed at New Delhi’s international airport on Monday but claims she was unable to clear customs after her Indian visa was rejected. 

Abrahams said she had no plans to visit Kashmir during what she called a “private visit” to India to see relatives, although she had been planning to journey on to Pakistani capital Islamabad to discuss the issue. 

She has been critical of the Indian government for revoking Kashmir’s special status last August, which allowed the region to make its own laws, in an attempt to integrate the country’s only Muslim-majority region more fully. 

Abrahams said she was “treated like a criminal” and told to leave India before being marched on to a plane bound for Dubai.