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India Expels Al-Jazeera Correspondent
By
IOL South Asia correspondent
NEW
DELHI, July 7 (IslamOnline) - In yet another case of intimidation of
the media, the Indian government has asked the correspondent of
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television network, Nasir Shadeed, to
pack his bags and leave India, reported Asian Age newspaper.
The
newspaper said that it has learnt that the reason the government took
this step was that “it did not feel comfortable with the coverage
done by Shadeed of the Gujarat riots and later, Kashmir.”
According
to reports in the media circles here, Shadeed was called to the
external affairs ministry about a month ago where he was verbally told
by officials that he is not welcome in India. It is understood that
the Indian authorities have expressed their displeasure to the
Al-Jazeera administration in Doha which has already sent a new
correspondent to India to replace Shadeed.
When
contacted by IslamOnline over the phone, Shadeed declined to comment
but conceded that he was indeed called by the external affairs
ministry but has not been given any written order.
He
also conceded that despite the passage of seven months since his
posting in India, he has been denied an accreditation card. He will be
leaving India within the next week or two despite the fact that his
current visa is still valid up to February 2003.
The
Press Information Bureau (PIB) in New Delhi did not give accreditation
to Shadeed. He was told that he would not get it and if he wanted, he
could carry on with the coverage of the events in India with the
handicap of not being an officially accredited correspondent.
Shadeed
has been a prominent figure in the journalistic circle in India since
the U.S. attacked on Afghanistan and was present at all briefings.
It
is believed that Shadeed’s reporting on the anti-Muslim pogroms in
Gujarat, the Temple-Babri Masjid issue and more recently his extended
visit to Kashmir infuriated the authorities here.
More
recently Time magazine correspondent in India, British national Alex
Perry, was in trouble with the authorities for reporting on Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s health and private life which is
seldom discussed in the Indian mainstream media.
After
a series of interrogations by immigration officers two weeks ago, good
sense prevailed and Perry was let off but has been ordered to pay a
“courtesy call” to the immigration department whenever he leaves
India.
At
the time, Western media commented that the extent of the Indian action
against Perry will show how much tolerant India is towards media and
critical reporting.
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