By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Nadim Ahmad of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh was not stopped from boarding the Oman Air flight to Muscat by the airline authorities but it were some unnamed Indian officials (maybe Intelligence Bureau sleuths) who stopped the man from boarding at the last moment in Lucknow on October 12.
Replying to a query from TwoCircles.net, Usama Karim AL-Haremi, head of the Corporate Communications & Media Department of the Oman Air, said: “As far as we are concerned, the passenger was checked in by Oman Air and given the boarding card after completion of the check-in process, therefore the passenger was not refused by Oman Air.”
TCN had contacted the airlines to explain its position on the issue. With that response it is clear that it were Indian officials who intervened at the last moment and prevented the man from flying.
Nadim Ahmad works as a driver in Qatar. He was returning back to Qatar via Oman. He claims that all the documents necessary for travel were in order.
Azamgarh is in the news for alleged terrorist activities because a number of Muslim youths of the eastern district of Uttar Pradesh have been arrested on terrorism charges. It is first case of its kind where a Muslim from Azamgarh has been prevented from leaving the country.
Nadim belongs to Chav village in the district of Azamgarh which has sizeable presence of educated Muslims in the state. He has previously worked as driver in Qatar for two years. His first trip out of India was in September 2006 and returned in June 2008. He was returning back to Qatar on October 12 when he was prevented from boarding.
Nadim’s visa to Qatar is valid till September 2009.