NEW DELHI – An Indian-origin British journalist critical of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has lost his Indian overseas citizenship, a move campaignerssaid underlined the government’s hostility to a free press.
The home ministry said Thursday that Aatish Taseer had “concealed the factthat his late father was of Pakistani origin” and was therefore ineligiblefor Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI).
Taseer’s cover article on Time magazine’s international edition titled”India’s Divider in Chief” — next to Modi’s face — was published in Mayahead of elections that saw Modi win a second term in a landslide.
The writer’s father Salman Taseer was born in pre-partition British Indiaand was governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province until his assassination in2011 for opposing the country’s blasphemy laws.
Born in Britain, Aatish Taseer wrote on Time’s website late Thursday thathe lived in India from the age of two with his Indian mother — his solelegal guardian — and had no contact with his father until he was 21.
“The government had limited means by which they could legally take away myoverseas citizenship. Yet they have now acted on those means,” he wrote.
“(It) is hard not to feel, given the timing, that I was being punished forwhat I had written.”
Under Modi, in power since 2014, India has fallen to 140th out of 180 inthe World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
At least six Indian journalists were killed in connection with their workin 2018, according to RSF, while noting a rise in attacks ahead of thisyear’s election.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that Aatish Taseer’s fateshowed that Modi’s governing party is “intolerant of criticism and freedomof the press”.
“Harassing critical writers and journalists not just in India but globallyis a disturbing new low for Modi’s government that’s already put Indiandemocracy on its heels,” said freedom of expression rights group PENAmerica.
“Mr. Taseer was given the opportunity to submit his reply/objectionsregarding his PIO/OCI cards, but he failed to dispute the notice,” anIndian Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted.
“He has clearly not complied with very basic requirements and hiddeninformation.”
Millions of people of Indian origin have OCI status, allowing them totravel freely into the country without a visa and stay indefinitely. -APP/AFP