ISLAMABAD: After shredding into pieces the 2003 bilateral ceasefire agreement bringing body bags on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), India has now violated the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which is a regular annual feature.
This has resulted in non-issuance of visas to 503 Pakistani Zaireen (pilgrims) to participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) at Ajmer Sharif, India from 19-29 March 2018, which has for centuries been the symbol of bringing communities closer to each other.
Expressing its ‘disappointment’, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said: “As a result of this (Indian) decision, the Pakistani Zaireen have been deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Urs, which is of special significance”.
“Besides being violative of the bilateral Protocol of 1974 and the basic human right to religious freedom, such measures also undermine the efforts aimed at improving the environment, increasing people-to-people contacts and normalising relations between the two countries. It is again ironic that this was done on the occasion of Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) who has for centuriesbeen the symbol of bringing communities closer to each other”, added the Foreign Office.
India’s hardened stance is now more visible after the arrest and sentencing to death of RAW agent serving Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav when religious diplomacy and medical diplomacy started being denied to Pakistanis.
Immediately after Jadhav’s arrest medical visas were the first to be hit. These visas were being denied to Pakistani patients and the numbers have dwindled to single digit in recent times. For Pakistanis alone, New Delhi put in an extra demand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to clear every patient desirous of getting an Indian visa.
Earlier, 192 Pakistani Zaireen could not participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin from 1-8 January 2018 due to the non-issuance of visas by India, recalled the Foreign Office.
During 2017, despite Pakistan’s offer to send a special train, Indian delays resulted in Sikh yatrees (pilgrims) from India being unable to participate in the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Similarly, in February 2018, the Government of Pakistan had made all the arrangements for the visit of 173 Katas Raj Pilgrims, who, regrettably, were forced to withdraw their applications from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi due to non-issuance of necessary clearance by the Ministry of External Affairs of India.
Last week saw bilateral relations dwindling to a new low when diplomats on both sides complained of harassment with Pakistan taking a serious step to recall its High Commissioner from New Delhi for “consultations”.
