Three days after Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was deported from Hyderabad, Gulf carrier Etihad Airways said he had been advised by authorities that he could enter through four metro airports in India with the visa he was holding.
The singer, who had directly landed at Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi to participate in a programme on December 31, was sent back, and he had blamed the airline for the hassle.
The airline said Khan was refused entry by the immigration officials due to a SAARC visa issue.
“Etihad Airways was informed the guest was holding this specific type of visa that did not allow him entry into India through Hyderabad. He was, however, advised by authorities that he could enter through four metro airports in India with the visa he was holding,” the airline said in a statement.
It further said it flew Khan back to Abu Dhabi and onwards to Delhi with a connecting flight to Hyderabad.
“Etihad Airways clearly states that it is the individual’s responsibility to have appropriate visa and travel documents for travel to any country, but ultimately the right of entry is with the relevant immigration authorities,” it said.
Khan, after the incident, had said, “The airline in question was wrong as they should have known that as a Pakistani national which ports in India we are authorised to travel.”
