Khizr Khan cancels Canadian appearance over ‘Travel Privileges’ review

NEW YORK, March 7 (APP): Khizr Khan, the Pakistani-American father of a soldier killed in Iraq and who clashed last year with the then Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump, has cancelled a speech in Toronto, Canada, after being told that his ‘travel privileges are being reviewed’ for an unknown reason, according to media reports.
Khan, a lawyer, spoke at last July’s Democratic National Convention about his son, US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 during the Iraq war.
A supporter of Hillary Clinton, he used his July speech to ask Trump if he had ever read the US Constitution, and said that he would gladly lend him his copy.
Trump, enraged, then attacked the family – beginning a row that overshadowed the presidential campaign for several days. Khan, 66, had planned to speak in Toronto on Tuesday at an event hosted by Ramsay Talks, a Toronto-based speaker series hosted by Bob Ramsay on Tuesday. But Ramsay, posted a message on Facebook, saying that Khan, was notified that his “travel privileges were being reviewed”.
“As a consequence, Mr Khan will not be travelling to Toronto on March 7th to speak about tolerance, understanding, unity and the rule of law. Very regretfully, Ramsay Talks must cancel its luncheon with Mr Khan,” it said.
Ramsay said that Khizr Khan offered his sincere apologies to all those who made plans to attend on 7 March.
“This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad,” he quoted Mr Khan as saying.
“I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.”
The New York Daily News quoted a State Department official as saying there was no US State Department procedure for reviewing ‘travel privileges’ and that anyone with a valid US passport can enter and leave the US.