Kashmiri athlete denied US visa due to ‘current policy’

KL News Network

Srinagar

A Kashmiri athlete has been reportedly denied visa by the US embassy in New Delhi. The sportsperson was scheduled to participate in snow-shoe championship in New York on February 25, 2017.

Tanveer Hussain, 24, a snow-shoe champion from Kashmir was invited by World Snow-Shoe Federation for the championship to be held next month in the Saranac Lake. He had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to get his Visa.

“I was interviewed by US Embassy officials for over six minutes before they turned down my application,” Tanveer was quoted by reports as having said.

“All my documents were complete but the interviewer told me: sorry, we cannot give you visa because of our current policy.”

However, Tanveer added, “the officials did not elaborate the ‘current policy’.”

“You know, we cannot argue with such officials,” he said. “I was let down by the Embassy officials and I had no other option but to leave the Embassy premises.”

The development comes in the wake of recently inaugurated president, Donald J Trump’s ban on entry of nationals from seven Muslim countries.

Tanveer Hussain is a resident of Hassanabad Rainawari in summer capital of J&K.

An ace athlete, Tanveer represented India in Italy in 2016 winter games where he participated in world snow- shoe championship. Besides, he plays for J&K Bank.

“I was preparing for this world championship for last one month,” Tanveer said, “I would go to Gulmarg every two-days a week besides I practiced in snow-bound Srinagar areas.”

World snow-shoe racing championships, sponsored by the World Snow-shoe Federation, have previously been held in Austria (2006 and 2007), Western Canada (2010), Japan (2011), Eastern Canada (2011 and 2015), Italy (2013 and 2015) and Sweden (2014).

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