Indian HC wasn’t prevented from meeting Sikh pilgrims: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday rejected as baseless the Indian allegation that its high commissioner in Islamabad was prevented from meeting the visiting Sikh pilgrims.

Responding to a question regarding the press release issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, FO, in a statement, said that it was deeply regrettable that facts in this matter had been completely distorted and misrepresented.

It said that the factual position was that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) secretary had extended an invitation to the Indian high commissioner to attend the main function of Baisakhi at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib on Saturday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly processed the matter on Friday and granted the travel permission.

However, in the run-up to the main function, ETPB authorities noticed strong resentment among segments of Sikh pilgrims, gathered there from different parts of the world, protesting the release in India of some film on Baba Guru Nanak Devji.

The FO statement said that considering an emotionally charged environment and the possibility of any untoward situation, the ETPB authorities contacted the Indian High Commission officials and suggested the cancellation of the visit.

The Indian High Commission officials, after due deliberation, agreed to call off the visit in view of the situation. In another rebuttal, FO said that the facts regarding the visits of protocol team on Thursday and Saturday had also been twisted.

The statement said that the matter related to the protocol team’s access on the arrival of the pilgrims at Wagha was expeditiously resolved through the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the concerned officials of the Indian High Commission chose not to return, even though they were duly notified that the requisite clearance had been granted.

On Saturday, there was no scheduled meeting with pilgrims. On Sunday, the officials of Indian High Commission duly visited Gurdwara Punja Sahib. FO said that it deeply condemned India’s attempt to generate controversy around the visits of Sikh pilgrims and to vitiate the environment of bilateral relations.

For decades, Pakistan has made excellent arrangements to facilitate visits of Sikh pilgrims from across the world, including India. It is ironic for the Indian government to accuse Pakistan of violating the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, whereas it is India that has, in clear violation of the Protocol, twice within this year, denied visas to Pakistani pilgrims on occasions of urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (RA) and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri (RA) and scuttled at least three visits of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims to religious shrines in Pakistan since June 2017.