Kashmiri journalist and author Gowhar Geelani was stopped by authorities at the Delhi airport and barred from flying abroad, official sources said on Sunday, 1 September, according to PTI.
Geelani was stopped from travelling to Germany at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Saturday for a programme with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
‘Problems in Relation to Kashmir’
The authorities stopped Geelani from flying abroad due to restrictions imposed on his travel, the sources said, according to the PTI report. However, Geelani was not given a clear explanation as to why he was stopped, The Indian Express reported.
Geelani was stopped at the immigration centre around 9:15 pm on Saturday and asked to wait in a room by an immigration officer named Abhishek while he spoke to his seniors, according to report.
“He appeared after 15-20 minutes and told me: ‘Aap jaante hain aaj kal kaafi diqqat hai Kashmir ko lekar (you know these days there are problems in relation to Kashmir)’. I politely asked him what the problem was. He didn’t give any answer and asked me to wait again,” Geelani claimed, speaking to The Indian Express.
The official then told him that he was not allowed to travel and that his ticket would be refunded and luggage returned. However, Geelani claimed that when he asked the official to give him a reason in writing, he refused, saying that he was following orders.
Geelani is the author of a book titled Kashmir: Rage and Reason.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)
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