UPDATE: Since Jammu & Kashmir was stripped of its statehood on 5 August 2019, several Kashmiri leaders, activists, journalists and lawyers have been stopped from flying abroad via New Delhi’s international airport. On 2 November 2019, news reports indicated that the J&K administration, now directly under the centre, maintains a no-fly list that includes around 450 prominent Kashmiris.
Southasian governments regularly misuse their discretionary visa allotment powers to keep out those they consider ‘undesirable’ – such as critical journalists, scholars, and activists. This practice is more widespread than is recognised, even in countries with a liberal image, as individual cases fall through the cracks and disappear. With our ‘Blacklist’, we endeavour to collate, track, expose and challenge this process. We see this as a collaborative effort; contact us whenever and wherever you come across any such instances. You can send the information anonymously, but it must be corroborated in some way.