A few weeks ago Labour MP Debbie Abrahams was refused entry to India and swiftly deported. It was initially reported that she did not have a valid visa, but the Indian government later announced that her visa was revoked on the ground that she had been
"indulging in activities which went against India's national interest". Whatever could they mean?
In 2018 Abrahams was elected chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, having previously been the vice chair. Kashmir is a long way from her constituency, but many of her constituents are particularly close to Kashmir. When Abrahams was elected for Oldham East & Saddleworth in 2011 she increased the Labour majority from just 103 votes to 3,558. In 2013 she confirmed that Kashmir
"is a particular issue for many of my constituents" and over the years she has found that pandering to Pakistani voters goes a long way. In 2015 she increased her majority to 6,002 and again in 2017 to 8,182.
 |
| Debbie Abrahams (crouching) |
Abrahams' one-sided approach to the conflict and constant criticism of India is what led to her visa being revoked. She is an actor for Pakistan, but one might be forgiven for asking one vital question. Why is a British MP more concerned with a conflict on the other side of the world than the bread and butter concerns of the majority of her constituents? Well perhaps her constituents have begun to ask the same question seeing as her majority plummeted to just 1,503 in December.
