VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) demanded the cancellation of Pakistan-link British Islamist preacher Saqib Iqbal Shami’s religious event set to be conducted in Warangal today (February 4). VHP met the Warangal Commissioner of Police and asked him to stop the event which Shami is conducting in violation of Bharatiya visa rules.

Interestingly, BRS (formerly TRS) party MLA Nannapuneni Narender, who represents the Warangal East constituency, printed posters

Shami is an Islamic preacher who was born in Pakistan and is a citizen of Britain. He is on a 26days tour of Bharat from January 26 during the course of which he is set to conduct religious events across the country. One of his religious events was scheduled to take place in Telangana’s Warangal on February 4.

However, according to Bharatiya visa rules foreigners are not allowed to conduct religious events in Bharat. The Union Government has reiterated this on several occasions and even the Home Ministry had replied to an RTI (Right to Information) query saying GoI (Government of India) does not issue visas to religious preachers wanting to conduct/participate in religious campaigns and activities.

Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), a legal rights firm fighting for the rights of indigenous people, filed a complaint with the concerned authorities of the Ministry of Home Affairs/Home Ministry (MHA) after learning about Shami’s event. In its complaint, LRPF highlighted that the tour is illegal and requested the ministry to take necessary steps to stop the event as well as take strict action against both Shami and the organizers under relevant sections of the 1946 Foreigners Act.

LRPF also highlighted that Shami was among 120 British Islamists who interfered in Bharat’s internal affairs by writing to PM Modi following the abrogation of Article 370 expressing their ‘dissatisfaction and displeasure’ over it and the imposition of lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, LRPF has urged the Home Ministry to blacklist Shami to prevent his entry into Bharat in the future.

It must be mentioned that Shamii conducted a massive religious event at Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University terming the event as his biggest political, cultural, and social Islamic gathering of all time. His social media accounts have listed his upcoming events across Bharat.