New Delhi: Stoking another potential row,
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has
questioned the tightening of visa regulations in the backdrop
of the David Headley case and asked whether India would allow
terrorists to make it a "less welcoming" destination.
Tharoor, who had set-off major controversies in the past
by his tweets over Government?s austerity drive and some other
issues, in his latest posting on the social networking site
Twitter says, "26/11 killers had no visas."
The Union Home Ministry has tightened visa regulations in
the wake of multi-entry visas given to Pakistani-American
Headley and Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana, both arrested in
the US for plotting terror attacks against India which has
prompted criticism from the US and British governments.
Tharoor appeared to ask whether the move made any sense
at all.
"Is all that worth it just in hope of making it
difficult for a future Headley to recce? R we going 2 allow
terrorists 2 make us less welcoming?," the minister wrote in
his twitter account, yesterday.
The Minister also said "making it more difficult 2 visit
India, return here frequently or stay long hurts large nbrs of
innocents, costs us millions of $ (Dollars) & alienates."
"No easy answers 2such qsns (to such questions)
government is grappling with. But important to recognize that
security not become an excuse 2change (to change) our cntry 4d
worse (country for the worse)," Tharoor said.
Thx (Thanx) for gr8 (great) feedback on visas. Issue
is not security vs tourism, but whether visa restrictions
protect our security," he said while replying to a tweet.
PTI
