British MP takes up Ustad Amjad’s visa issue

Keith Vaz, British parliament’s longest-serving Asian Member of Parliament, has come forward to help sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Last week, there was a huge national uproar on Ustad Amjad being denied a visa to the UK. When contacted, he said, “I am grateful and indebted to Keith Vaz, who is taking so much interest and helping me with this very odd and distressing problem. He is in London and yet taking such keen interest. Britain’s representatives in India are yet to allow me to meet them. I never had the honour of meeting the present British High Commissioner. I hope to meet him some day, if not now, when I urgently need to meet him.’

Ustad Amjad says he would have liked the British High Commissioner to India to personally explain the visa problem. He says, “I wish the British High Commissioner or his team could have called me and helped explain the problem. Instead, Mr Vaz is doing the needful sitting in London.”

Ustad Amjad is also grateful to Sushma Swaraj for her help. He says, “Despite her busy schedule, I am sure Sushma Swaraj and her office are also following up on my visa case.”

On Wednesday this week, Ustad Amjad, went to the British visa office in New Delhi with his new visa application and had said that he hoped to get the visa soon, as he is travelling to the US as well.