Like India, US grappling with visa issue now

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Dec 29 (PTI) Like India, the US too is now
grappling with the visa issue after the latest attempt by a
suspected al-Qaeda operative to blow up a plane over US
airspace.

While the matter of issuing a visa came under scanner in
India after the recent arrest of David Coleman Headley, the
terror suspect charged with involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks, the similar problem knocked the US door after a
failed bid to blow up a plane in Detroit.
Suspected al-Qaeda operative and Nigerian national Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab was arrested after he failed in his bid
to destroy Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day with
over 270 people on board.
And then came an argument that how come a person whose
father raised concerns about his son in Nigeria was issued the
visa.
The officials in both the countries, however, argue that
there was no violation of law. But media and experts wonder as
to how terrorists took advantage of the system and authorities
failed to detect it in time.
In the case of David Headley, who is now languishing in a
US jail, experts question the manner in which visa was issued
against such an individual. To this, Indian officials contend
that at the time when his visa application was processed there
was no information about the person's background.
While the 26/11 terror attack killed over 170 people,
nearly 300 innocent people had a miraculous escape on December
25 when Abdulmutallab failed in his attempt to ignite an
explosive, which he managed to sneak inside the plane. More
PTI LKJ
RDM


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