Tanveer Hussain

A snowshoe athlete from Indian-administered Kashmir has been denied a US visa because of the “current US policy”, his coach has said.

Tanveer Hussain, 26, is scheduled to participate in the 2017 world snowshoe championship at Serenac Lake, New York.

The mayor of Serenac Lake, Clyde Rabideau, said on Wednesday that two senators had contacted the US embassy in Delhi for more information.

Mr Hussain’s coach, Abid Khan, said all his documents had been in order.

“We had local government recommendation and also the invitation and verification letter from the New York snowshoe federation. But as soon as a lady visa officer at the US embassy in Delhi read our names she went inside a cabin and came back after a few minutes. She said she was sorry, but that she could not help us due to the current US policy,” he told the BBC.

The visa ruling came days after US President Donald Trump blocked individuals from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States.

Mr Trump has denied allegations that his executive order amounted to a “Muslim ban”.

Mr Hussain had participated in the world snowshoe championship last year too.

Mr Rabideau said that with the intervention of US senators, they hoped the “issue is resolved quickly and we can get on with our international friendship”.

BBC