When UK MP Debbie Abrahams was deported from India for not having proper documentation, it raised quite a stir, with a lot of liberals on social media questioning the BJP-led Central government’s intentions, as she was visiting Jammu and Kashmir at the time.
However, it has now been revealed that Abrahams had received Rs 30 lakh to visit PoK to analyse the situation, with a team that comprised only people from Pakistan, India Today reported.
Abrahams' e-visa was cancelled so she was not allowed entry in Delhi today after she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in February this year. As she explains on Twitter, "I was planning to visit Indian family in Delhi accompanied by my Indian aide".
The British lawmaker's e-visa was reportedly issued last October, and was valid until October 2020.
Soon after her visa was rejected and she was asked to leave India, Abrahams went to Pakistan and met that country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan in a trip that was funded by the Pakistan government.
Meanwhile, a WION report added quoting a former Indian envoy that the revelation established a link between the Pakistan government and the British All Party Parliamentary Group that was chaired by Abrahams. The group had earlier been funded by the Pakistan High Commission in London where it was paid £12000 (Rs ll lakh).
According to the UK Parliament website, APPGs “cover a diverse range of subjects and are established for a rich variety of purposes”. While they are not official parliamentary bodies — and therefore different from Select Committees of Parliament — they “provide a valuable opportunity for parliamentarians to engage with individuals and organisations outside Parliament who share an interest in the subject matter of their Group”.
Interestingly, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi at the time had backed the government’s decision to deport Abrahams, calling her a Pakistani proxy. "The deportation of Debbie Abrahams by India was indeed necessary, as she is not just an MP, but a Pak proxy known for her clasp with e Pak govt and ISI. Every attempt that tries to attack India's sovereignty must be thwarted," he wrote on Twitter.
Abraham isn’t new to controversy. In 2018, she was suspended from her position after facing a Labour Party investigation over charges of bullying her staff. Denying the allegations and saying that she was ‘the victim of bullying culture of the worst kind’, Abrahams said, “I strongly refute the allegations of bullying made against me. I believe the investigation was not thorough, fair or independent." The allegations also resulted in her sacking from her position as Shadow Works and Pension Secretary in the Labour party.
