NEW DELHI, JUNE 14: Pakistani writer Aftab Hussain, who fled to India in March following `harassment' by the military regime for publishing poems of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, was on Tuesday given 45 days extension of visa for stay in this country although he had sought political asylum.When contacted, Hussain showed newsmen his passport with extension stamp but said he was unhappy that India had not yet acceded to his request for political asylum.Earlier, Foreign office spokesman said "Hussain's request for extension of visa is being considered by the competent authority." His 90-day visa will expire on June 15.The 38-year old Pakistani poet, who arrived in India on March 15, said "it is unfair that despite verbal assurances from the Ministry of External Affairs, his request for political asylum is still not been considered.""I am on tenterhooks and I cannot concentrate on mywrittings or poetry," a visibily upset Hussain said.He said several Indian writers had also written "request letter to Prime Minister Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani, for a favourable response to my plea for political asylum. but a reply is still awaited."The miseries for him started after a noted Indian poet Jameel Akhther, who translated Vajpayee's poems into Urdu, sent a copy to him with the request for publishing it in Pakistan.He said he was harassed by the military regime for thisact to such an extent that he was left with no option but to leave the country.Hussain said he was more that of a political prisoner as the Foreign Ministry had removed Kharagpur in West Bengal and Orissa from his visa."These two places were endorsed in my visa from Pakistan and when I was asked to apply for my extension I had applied for two more cities Aligarh and Lucknow to carry out my literary work," Hussain said, adding "however, besides not granting me the new cities, my earlier two were also scrapped off" by the ministry.The Pakistani poet claimed he had applied for only 15 days visa but the ministry asked him to extend it till July 31 "as they needed sufficient time to consider his plea for political asylum."Hussain said "I had approached the Ministry of External Affiars and Ministry of Home for granting me political asylum in India as situation in Pakistan, governed by General Pervez Musharraf, was worse than ever before.extension of my visa was not the priority."Stating that he took a natural and spontaneous decision to seek asylum in India, he urged the government should take a decision on his plea soon."The Britishers might have divided the sub-continent into two but they can never separate our culture and history," Hussian added.
