ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has expressed deep disappointment over non-issuance ofvisas by India for the visit of the 503 Pakistani Zaireen to participate inthe Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) at Ajmer Sharif from 19-29of this month.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal, in a statement, said thatthe visit was to take place under the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol onVisits to Religious Shrines and is a regular annual feature.
He said earlier, 192 Pakistani Zaireen could not participate in the Urs ofHazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia (RA) in Delhi in January 2018 due to thenon-issuance of visas by India.
The Spokesperson said during last year, despite Pakistan’s offer to send aspecial train, due to Indian delays in visa issuing, Sikh yatrees fromIndia could not participate in the Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Arjan Devand the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Similarly, in February this year the Government of Pakistan had made allarrangements for the visit of 173 Katas Raj Pilgrims, who, regrettably,were forced to withdraw their applications from the Pakistan HighCommission in New Delhi.
He said such measures also undermine efforts aimed at increasingpeople-to-people contacts and normalizing relations between the twocountries.