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Khan’t help it: Imran says US bumped him off plane - The Times of India
WASHINGTON: Maybe US airport authorities just "khan't" help it. Or, maybe the Khans just can't take it. But yet another airport flap fluttered briefly in the news cycle after Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was reportedly bumped off a US-bound flight in Toronto and grilled about his views on drone strikes in Pakistan. Khan has been vocal opponent of US drone attacks.
Imran Khan, who heads the Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party, himself broke the news on social media networks of his brief detention late on Friday, tweeting that he was "taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones."
"My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop," added, for the benefit of anyone who didn't know his stand.
In a second tweet, Khan, nicknamed "Im the Dim" in some quarters, also revealed the reason for his trip to the US., saying, "Missed flight and sad to miss the Fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance. Still looking forward to meet PTI family there."
He eventually did get to New York City and addressed the fundraiser where he reportedly asked why US authorities in Islamabad had issued him a visa when they knew he was opposed to drone strikes. "My stand on drones is very clear. I did not say sorry to them," he was quoted as telling a local news channel.
US authorities did not comment on the matter but Khan's supporters and critics had a field day, duking it out on social media. His cohorts demanded an unconditional apology from the US government and wondered why the Pakistan Embassy in Washington had not intervened, while his detractors asked why he was visiting the US and raising money here.
Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, joined the fray, tweeting that "for the record, the Pakistan Embassy DC was immediately in touch with State Dept over the holding of Imran Khan at US immigration." Khan was reportedly detained for half an hour.
The whole episode appeared to have been overblown. For flights originating from Canada, US authorities typically conduct customs and immigration formalities before the flights take off from Canada, and not on arrival in US, where planes land in the domestic terminal gates.
But such is the sensitivity of celebrity travelers that even short delays and extended screening or questioning is magnified, US authorities have said in the past. They also suspect that some of them do it for career-enhancement or political point-scoring, ignoring the compulsions and limitations of airport staff.
The Khan episode took place even as Richard Olson, the new US ambassador to Pakistan, arrived in Islamabad to take charge of what is widely seen as one of the most difficult assignments in the State Department.
WASHINGTON: Maybe US airport authorities just "khan't" help it. Or, maybe the Khans just can't take it. But yet another airport flap fluttered briefly in the news cycle after Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was reportedly bumped off a US-bound flight in Toronto and grilled about his views on drone strikes in Pakistan. Khan has been vocal opponent of US drone attacks.
Imran Khan, who heads the Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party, himself broke the news on social media networks of his brief detention late on Friday, tweeting that he was "taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones."
"My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop," added, for the benefit of anyone who didn't know his stand.
In a second tweet, Khan, nicknamed "Im the Dim" in some quarters, also revealed the reason for his trip to the US., saying, "Missed flight and sad to miss the Fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance. Still looking forward to meet PTI family there."
He eventually did get to New York City and addressed the fundraiser where he reportedly asked why US authorities in Islamabad had issued him a visa when they knew he was opposed to drone strikes. "My stand on drones is very clear. I did not say sorry to them," he was quoted as telling a local news channel.
US authorities did not comment on the matter but Khan's supporters and critics had a field day, duking it out on social media. His cohorts demanded an unconditional apology from the US government and wondered why the Pakistan Embassy in Washington had not intervened, while his detractors asked why he was visiting the US and raising money here.
Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, joined the fray, tweeting that "for the record, the Pakistan Embassy DC was immediately in touch with State Dept over the holding of Imran Khan at US immigration." Khan was reportedly detained for half an hour.
The whole episode appeared to have been overblown. For flights originating from Canada, US authorities typically conduct customs and immigration formalities before the flights take off from Canada, and not on arrival in US, where planes land in the domestic terminal gates.
But such is the sensitivity of celebrity travelers that even short delays and extended screening or questioning is magnified, US authorities have said in the past. They also suspect that some of them do it for career-enhancement or political point-scoring, ignoring the compulsions and limitations of airport staff.
The Khan episode took place even as Richard Olson, the new US ambassador to Pakistan, arrived in Islamabad to take charge of what is widely seen as one of the most difficult assignments in the State Department.
