india

Updated: Nov 08, 2019 09:41 IST

The Centre said it has revoked the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status of journalist and author Aatish Taseer as he did not comply with “very basic requirements” and hid information, a charge he denied.

The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) also disputed a media report that the action was linked to New York-based Taseer’s article in the Time Magazine.

Taseer, who is the son of columnist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salman Taseer, had written the cover story for the magazine in May, which called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “Divider-in-Chief.” He had also criticised Modi’s first term as the Prime Minister.

“Mr. Aatish Ali Taseer, while submitting his PIO application, concealed the fact that his late father was of Pakistani origin,” the ministry’s spokesperson said in a series of tweets late on Thursday.

The OCI card, which allows foreign citizens of Indian origin to work indefinitely and enter India without a visa, is given to all nationals except those of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

It was introduced in response to persistent demands for dual citizenship which is not allowed under the Indian Citizenship Act.

“Thus, Aatish Ali Taseer becomes ineligible to hold an OCI card as per the Citizenship Act, 1955. He has clearly not complied with very basic requirements and hidden information,” she said.

The home ministry also said that Taseer had been given an opportunity to represent his side but he had failed to do so.

The spokesperson also said that the media report linking the cancellation of Taseer’s status and the Time article was “a complete misrepresentation and is devoid of any facts.”

Taseer refused to comment but tweeted that the allegations of not responding to an opportunity to challenge the decision were “untrue”.

“This is untrue. Here is the Consul General’s acknowledgement of my reply. I was given not the full 21 days, but rather 24 hours to reply. I’ve heard nothing from the ministry since,” he tweeted.

He also attached an alleged acknowledgement from Indian authorities along with his tweet.