Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was taken off a U.S.-bound flight at Toronto airport on Friday afternoon (local time) and questioned for about an hour before being permitted to continue with his journey to New York for a fund-raiser.
According to reports in the Canadian media, Mr. Khan — who heads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which has been opposing the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and drone attacks inside Pakistan — was taken off an American Airlines flight at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.
After the questioning, Mr. Khan himself tweeted about what happened. In his tweet, he said: “I was taken off from plane and interrogated by U.S. Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop.” In the process, he missed his flight and could not make it to the fund-raising lunch in New York in time.
The Toronto Sun quoted U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) as refusing to divulge information on the interrogation, citing privacy laws. One CBP spokesperson said: “Our dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people, and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists and terrorist weapons, criminals and contraband. Under U.S. immigration law, applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the United States. In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome all grounds of inadmissibility.”
Meanwhile, as word reached home and PTI supporters began using the social media aggressively to protest the U.S. action, Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington, Sherry Rehman, informed that “the Embassy was immediately in touch with the State Department over the holding of Imran Khan at U.S. immigration”.
Some organisations in the U.S. and Canada had objected to Mr. Khan’s visit on the ground that he was pro-Taliban. His fund-raising visit had raised several eyebrows with people commenting on how he could oppose U.S. and its aid while visiting that very country to collect money for his party and political activities that ride on anti-Americanism.
His supporters on the other hand demanded an apology from the U.S., pointing out that it had expressed regret when Indian actor Shahrukh Khan was detained at an American airport. In fact, a line from one of his films “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist” was trending as news broke of the cricketer-politician’s detention.
Keywords: Imran Khan, US drone strikes, Pakistan politics
The US govt has every right to question Khan however mighty he may be.The last para illustrates this point clearly.There is no parellal to India's Khan who is neither a politician nor an anti american..
Given his anti-US sentiments, you have to ask why he is visiting the
USA. It is very simple-to raise fund in $$$ for his activity here in
the US. Many politicians (the so called socialists and Marxists)of
various stripes in India and Pakistan are hypocritical in that they are
anti-US but regularly come on a surreptitious visit to the USA to see
their children or siblings settled here in the US. Not that there is
anything wrong but why this hypocrisy? I have least respect for these
individuals. They have been fooling around the people by being
anti-capitalists and here we are visiting the bastion of capitalism.
But for the fact that he was detained, Mr. Khan's visit could have gone
unnoticed in Pakistan. To US credit, this charlatan was allowed in
after some questions. Now let us reverse the situation-What if an anti-
Pakistan national (of Pakistani ancestry) here in the US would have visited his home country? We all know the answer.
In this world of terrorist ideologies it behooves the West to keep a
strong corridor between the Western Ideology and the Terrorist/Other
ideologies that do not fit with the Western Ideology.
Islam demands we reform to them all the whilst denying any reformation
on their part.
Let's find out what the good Imran thinks.
Indeed.
very sad to know the questioning of Imran Khan in Canada by US officials.It is good he authorities are careful about the terror activities they are not supposed to embarrass the personalities Like SharukKhan,Imran Khan.Amitabh Bachan,tendulkar and the like as they are very popular personalities and very well known the world over.This is very unfortunate.
Imran Khan deserves what he got in Toronto. He has been using the Taliban as a political tool and attacked use of Drones, merely because he wants to win the election. The reality is that neither the Pakistani troops nor the Nato troops have the will or ability to deal with terrorists in the chaotic, ungovernable areas, has been controlled by the use of Drones. Imran is playing a calculated game,siding with the Military(ISI) and various radical Islamic groups, including LET and also tapping into a hostile anti-US sentiment in Pakistan. Under the circumstances, what is the purpose of his visit to the US? Even on the shooting of Malala, Imran has played cute! He does not deserve to be invited to the US with open arms!
Bear in mind that the US has never officially admitted to be behind the drone attacks.
Lucky that Imran Khan was not arrested in Toronto airport. The US immigration office cannot arrest Imran Khan in Canada, but they were enquiring about his intended activities in New york. The US or any other country do not tolerate foreigners to come as visitors for protest rallies and political activities. Imran Khan's activities in the US will be closely watched by the US and the questioning at Toronto airport is just a warning. Meanwhile the protest march in front of UN was cancelled because there was not enough protesters. All the Pakistani protesters will be closely watched by the US because of security concerns. Will India permit Imran Khan and Pakistanis for fund raising and protest demonstrations anywhere inside India against India? Why Pakistan allow foreign money collected from US for political activities in Pakistan. The Pakistan government should arrest Imran Khan for illegal activities and use of foreign money for his political activities in Pakistan.
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