India refuses visas to over 200 Pakistanis for Ajmer Sharif Urs

ISLAMABAD – New Delhi has refused to grant visas to Pakistani pilgrims intending to attend the Urs of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.

Reports in local media suggest that nearly 500 Pakistanis were supposed to leave for India to attend the religious event, and almost half of the religious tourists were not missed visas.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony’s spokesperson revealed that the Modi-led administration restricted more than 239 Pakistani pilgrims to pay homage to the Sufi saint.

Visas for five officials who were supposed to take care of the pilgrims were also rejected.

The last-moment refusal for issuance of visas has affected the emotional sentiments of pilgrims leaving them in stress, while Pakistani officials expressed dismay.

New Delhi has violated long-standing protocol on visits to religious shrines by refusing visas while Pakistan has always facilitated Indian pilgrims to visit their sacred sites to promote interfaith harmony.

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This is not the first time as the Indian embassy last year refused visas to several Pakistani pilgrims for attending the annual Urs.