Restricting entry: Washington cancels Ghulam Bilour’s visa

Received a call from the embassy today, informing me about the ban and the cancellation of visas, Bilour confirms.

PESHAWAR:

The US embassy has cancelled the visas of Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and his wife in response to the bounty he had put on the head of the producer of the highly controversial movie, ‘Innocence of Muslims’. Bilour has also been banned from visiting the US in the future.

“I have received a call from the embassy today, informing me about the ban and the cancellation of visas,” Bilour confirmed while talking to The Express Tribune. He defended his statement about the bounty and called for international laws to make such profane acts a punishable crime across the world.

“I am not worried about the US or the UK restricting my entry; I would only be worried if I was banned from visiting Makkah and Medina,” he said.

The spokesperson for the US embassy in Islamabad said: “Mr Bilour’s actions and statements have called into question his continuing eligibility to enter the United States. We can confirm that his visa was revoked; however, US law prevents us from disclosing further details.”

The federal minister announced a $100,000 bounty for the producer of the anti-Islam film earlier in September and invited the Taliban and al Qaeda to partake in what he termed a ‘noble deed’.

On November 1, US Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Richard Hoagland in a meeting with the media in Peshawar signaled that an entry ban could be placed against the sitting federal minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2012.