Pak Poet Faiz’s Daughter Moneeza Hashmi Disallowed in Delhi Event
Organisers in New Delhi, however, denied the charge and said that they are not even aware of any such incident.
The daughter of revered Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz has accused Indian authorities of denying her entry into a media summit in New Delhi where she was invited as a speaker.
Hashmi’s son took to Twitter to bring the issue to the notice of the Prime Minister’s office and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Organisers in New Delhi, however, denied the charge and said that they are not even aware of any such incident. Press Information Bureau chief Sitanshu Kar said that he was not aware of any such incident.
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) director, KG Suresh, said: "I am not even aware of it, of this entire incident. I also came to know about it only through media persons.”
Hashmi left India for Lahore on Sunday, 13 May, after she was barred from attending the summit.
"I was to speak 'Should All Good Stories be Commercially Successful' along with three other speakers in the summit, but I was refused entry," she said.
Hashmi said that on her arrival in New Delhi on 9 May, she was told that she had no hotel booking and was not registered for the event. "The organisers apologised. I stayed in another hotel and left for Lahore on 12 May," she added.
The summit was hosted in New Delhi from 10 to 12 May in which representatives from nearly 40 countries delved on issues related to the media sector.
The summit was hosted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, jointly with the IIMC, and public sector firm Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL).
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