Centre, Dogra wage undiplomatic war

New Delhi: There seems to be no end in sight to the bizzare diplomatic row at the centre of which is the sacked Indian envoy to New Zealand Harish Dogra.

Options are running out for the disgraced Indian envoy after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revoked his passport on Tuesday.

Dogra doesn't have a valid visa to stay on in New Zealand, but that doesn't mean he is coming home to face charges any time soon.

Immigration lawyer, Harjinder Singh says, "Once the passport is revoked, he has no right to stay in that country unless he gets another passport or seeks asylum."

If Dogra gets himself another Indian passport, he commits a crime. MEA sources say he has a very slim chance of obtaining another passport - leave alone another diplomatic passport - from a third country.

Flight to a country with no extradition treaty with India would forever render him a fugitive.

Of course, Dogra could appeal for asylum but may not be able to convince New Zealand that he faces persecution upon return to India.

Former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, Dalip Mehta says, "I am sure the New Zealand Government realises the seriousness of the matter. They would not want to intervene in a matter between the Ministry of External Affairs, the mission in New Zealand and the debunked diplomat."

However, appeals and petitions mean that Dogra will be able to buy time and therefore the defiant diplomat may not return home any time soon.

Meanwhile, other serving diplomats say that the MEA's timely and tough actions will prove to be a deterrent.

The incident is proving to be another major embarrasment for the MEA after the Natwar Singh fiasco last year.

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