LAHORE: India has rejected visa applications of Pakistani pilgrims wanting to attend the Urs of Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
The move has effectively “deprived” pilgrims from attending the death anniversary of the 13th century mystic, who is revered by many on both sides of the border, the press release read.
“The non-issuance of visas before the Urs ceremony is also a violation of the spirit of the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines agreement,” the press release said.
The spokesperson added that such measures also undermined the efforts aimed at improving the environment and normalising relations between the two countries.
“It is ironic that this was done on the occasion of urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya who was a symbol of bringing communities closer to each other,” concluded the FO in its statement.
The decision comes just two days after Pakistan released 145 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture. Pakistan also recently allowed Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother to meet him on “humanitarian grounds”.
