ISLAMABAD – Foreign Office Spokesperson, Dr Muhammad Faisal on Tuesdaydenied Indian allegations about “Pakistan refusing visas to 173 Katas Rajpilgrims” terming them as completely baseless.
He underscored that Pakistan had made all the arrangements for the visit ofthe pilgrims, who, regrettably, were forced to withdraw their applicationsfrom the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi due to non – issuance of NOCby the Ministry of External Affairs of India.
Recently, India has also denied the visits of Sikh pilgrims, followed bythat of Zaireens from Pakistan, and now Katas Raj Pilgrims, the opportunityto participate in their religious festivals, said a statement issued here.
Indian actions run counter to the letter and spirit of the 1974Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines and an obstructionfor the people to people contacts.
Such steps violate the basic human right to religious freedoms and areindicative of the escalatory ladder on which the government of India hasembarked.
‘These are against the spirit of peace and tranquility that Pakistan hasbeen trying to promote’, it added.