Visa wheeze

Second thoughts about visa restrictions lay bare the uselessness of knee-jerk,statist reactions

To call for a review in six months of Indias new,stricter visa regulations is to admit that the system in place since last month proscribing the re-

entry within two months of foreign nationals with long-term,multiple-entry tourist visas unless they produce evidence of their travel plans in the region lacked logic. It has been argued in these columns earlier that increasing numbers of foreign visitors and national security are not mutually exclusive. Those of a destructive intent may yet find ways to dodge the system; nor was a sweeping prohibition fair on innocent travellers. Whats more,the

restrictions were designed to harm Indias own interests. For instance,corporate- and policy-types who not only frequent these parts but are also essential to our growth ambitions would be,in particular,the most affected. Does an aspiring

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India want to inconvenience such individuals at its own expense? Such people who travel back and forth,as well as,say,academics engaged in research or delivering lectures,may not necessarily plan out their next trip in advance and thereby convince the immigration officer to not stamp their visas barring them from returning within a couple of months. In other words,what the government is staring at is a regulation that is potentially a multiplier of bad publicity for the country.

Stopping terrorists and tightening the security net is a different,and more complex,business. Meanwhile,the governments flip-flop on the new visa rules has precluded clarity on the matter. If the visa

restrictions are myopic and misdirected,it is because they are the products of an automatic,unthinking statist reaction that was also downright lazy,seeking an easy,unidirectional way out. The result: the mixed messages and prevalent confusion. The moral of the episode: do not make knee-jerk responses to matters of public concern.

There were immediate diplomatic repercussions when the visa rules came into effect. Persisting with the restrictions will cause a different kind of damage,irrespective of the security threats the country faces. As it happens,India is not a very open country. Increasing the degree and frequency of statist

harassment cannot paint a more welcoming picture of it.