Citizens of foreign countries, but of Indian origin, who wish to seek Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards or are already cardholders cannot indulge in ‘Tabligh work’, a response to a Right to Information Act (RTI) request stated.

The query was filed by city resident Syed Liaqat Ullah who sought information on the subject after an acquaintance of his, a citizen of an European country, filed an application for an OCI card.

“The declaration was that the applicant should not indulge in Tabligh activities. Tabligh, though means propagation of faith, is generally associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. Though there is mention of OCI card not being used, unless authorised by the government, missionary work, mountaineering and research, I wanted to know why there was a mention of the Tabligh activity specifically,” the Right to Information Act applicant said.

In its response, the Consulate General of India in Birmingham, United Kingdom, stated, “As a matter of policy of the Government of India, OCI is a type of life-long visa and under its provisions Tabligh work is not permissible. If anyone intends to travel to India for Tabligh work, they are free to apply for a separate visa under appropriate category.”

The Tablighi Jamaat was in focus of various State governments and the Centre after an outbreak of coronavirus early last year.

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