NEW DELHI – Indian authorities declined to issue visas to Pakistanispilgrims heading to participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja NizamuddinAulia (RA) in Delhi beginning from Monday.

Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal said in a statement that it was alast-minute decision by India to decline the visas.

“As a result of this Indian decision, Pakistani pilgrims will be deprivedof the opportunity to participate in the urs, which is of specialsignificance,” said the statement.

“This is unfortunate and runs counter to the letter and spirit of the 1974Protocol and objective of people-to-people contacts,” it added.

The spokesperson continued that such measures also undermined the effortsaimed at improving the environment and normalising relations between thetwo countries.

“It is ironic that this was done on the occasion of urs of HazratNizamuddin Auliya who was a symbol of bringing communities closer to eachother,” concluded the FO in its statement.

A number of devotees from both countries are issued visas every year tovisit places of religious importance and the 1974 protocol governs visitsby the citizens of both countries for religious purposes.

The Indian refusal came days after Pakistan allowed RAW spy KulbhushanJadhav to meet his wife and mother in Pakistan as a humanitarian gesture.