A senior Home Ministry official, on Friday said, all foreigners have to respect Indian law and those found in violation are liable to be punished. The Home Ministry of India issued the order after a Reuter’s journalist was denied entry into India for allegedly violating visa rules.
Cathal McNaughton, photographer at Reuter and an Irish national who won the Pulitzer Prize in May 2018, allegedly travelled to restricted and protected areas in Jammu and Kashmir without permission. He also reported from the state without valid permission. So, MHA took action against him and he was sent back from the airport in New Delhi after his arrival from an overseas trip. While talking to PTI, Ministry officials said, denial of his entry in India is not permanent and can be reviewed after six months or a year.
“Everybody has to follow law. For violation, the consequence is the same for everybody. Foreigners should respect Indian law. If any Indian visits abroad and violates the law of that country, he or she is also liable to be punished,” the official further added.
The Home ministry official also warned that any such incident won’t be tolerated, “He may be a winner of some awards, but that does not give him the license to violate Indian laws. The Ministry of External Affairs regularly informs foreign journalists about Indian rules and regulations. And in certain places, a foreigner is required to take permission. If you violate these rules and regulations, we are bound to take action”.
The latest order of the Home Ministry of India to enforce the Foreign (Restricted Areas) Order, 1958 and Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, strictly is a welcoming step towards ensuring the national security. These areas are restricted because of International Border of the State and have been declared as Protected Area tactical war zones. While some left liberal media houses and international journalists are making an orchestrated attempt to portray that India is making sure outsiders don’t know about the situation in Kashmir and acting as a military state, it is simply not the case. The restriction are applied because of the international border and treated as no man land. These borders are governed by international treaty and considered to be sensitive areas.
Detailed Report on Restricted Areas: https://mha.gov.in/PDF_Other/AnnexVII_01022018.pdf
Instead of supporting the government on the issue, media houses and journalists are going miles to paint Modi government in a bad light. Not only this, some are questioning the intent of government and have blamed this as an initial step towards a military state.
Since coming to power, Modi government has been on the receiving end of attacks by the international media and some of whom have gone a step further and have demonized and defamed even India and Hinduism. A typical example of this is Washington Post Bureau Chief of India, Annie Gowen, who have demonized Indian culture and Hindu beliefs in her tweets again and again. Her twitter posts are full of anti-India and blatant Hindu-phobic remarks. The pseudo-liberal, international correspondent tweeted a post making racist comment on the ‘Angry Hanuman’ image that seem to have sent the ‘liberals’ of India into a state of fear and frenzy.
https://twitter.com/anniegowen/status/1017130906375589888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1017130906375589888&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.opindia.com%2F2018%2F07%2Fracist-foreign-journalist-annie-gowen-washington-post-brazens-it-out-even-as-hindus-seek-apology-for-her-insulting-tweet%2F
As is evident from the vicious rant of a ‘prominent’ foreign journalist against Indian culture and Hindu Dharma, there needs to be strict guidelines for foreign journalists and this directive by the MHA is a step in right direction. While, the mainstream media is trying to project it as an attack on the freedom of press, forgetting the fact that it is an issue of national security. India is a tolerant nation and had inculcated, adjusted and intermingled with various sect of people from all over the globe, with thought of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. These intolerance debates and rumours of Modi government heading toward a military state are nothing more than conspiracy theory of pseudo-liberals.