Islamabad March 19 (TNS): Pakistan has expressed deep disappointment over the non-issuance of visas by India for 503 Pakistani pilgrims intending to participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif from March 19 to March 29.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said in a statement on Monday that the visit was to take place under the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines and it was a regular annual feature.
He said that 192 Pakistani pilgrims could not make it to the Urs in January 2018 due to the non-issuance of visas by India.
The spokesperson said that last year, despite Pakistan’s offer to send a special train — due to Indian delays in issuing visas, Sikh pilgrims from India could not participate in the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
“Similarly, in February, the government of Pakistan made all arrangements for the visit of 173 Katas Raj pilgrims, who, regrettably, were forced to withdraw their applications from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi,” the spokesperson.
He said such measures also undermine efforts aimed at increasing people-to-people contacts and normalizing relations between the two countries.
