ISLAMABAD – Foreign Office has rejected as baseless Indian allegation thatits High Commissioner in Islamabad was prevented from meeting the visitingSikh pilgrims.
Responding to a question regarding the Press Release issued by the IndianMinistry of External Affairslink>,Foreign Office, in a statement, said it is deeply regrettable that facts inthis matter have been completely distorted and misrepresented.
It said the factual position is that the secretary of the Evacuee TrustProperty Board (ETPB) had extended an invitation to the High Commissionerof India to attend the main function of Baisakhi at the Gurdwara PanjaSahib on Saturday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly processed the matter on Friday andgranted the travel permission.
However, in the run-up to the main function, the ETPB authorities noticedstrong resentment among segments of Sikh Yatrees, gathered there fromdifferent parts of the world, protesting the release in India of some filmon Baba Guru Nanak Devji.
The Foreign Office statement said considering an emotionally chargedenvironment and the possibility of any untoward situation, the ETPBauthorities contacted the Indian High Commission officials and suggestedcancellation of the visit.
The Indian High Commission officials, after due deliberation, agreed tocall off the visit in view of such a situation.
In another rebuttal, Foreign Office said the facts regarding visits ofProtocol team on 12 and 14th of this month have also been twisted.
The statement said the matter relating to the Protocol team’s access on thearrival of the Jatha at Wagha was expeditiously resolved through theintervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, the concerned officials of the Indian High Commission chose not toreturn, even though they were duly notified that the requisite clearancehas been granted.
On 14th of this month, there was no scheduled meeting with pilgrims.
On Sunday, the officials of Indian High Commission have duly visitedGurdwara Punja Sahib.
The Foreign Office said we deeply regret this Indian attempt to generatecontroversy around the visits of Sikh pilgrims and to vitiate theenvironment of bilateral relations.
For decades, Pakistan has made excellent arrangements to facilitate visitsof Sikh Yatrees from across the world, including India.
It is ironic for the government of India to accuse Pakistan of violatingthe 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, whereas it is India thathas, in clear violation of the Protocol, twice within this year deniedvisas to Pakistani pilgrims on occasions of Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya(RA) and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri (RA) and scuttled at least threevisits of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims to Religious Shrines in Pakistan sinceJune 2017.