New Delhi, September 27
Pakistan has denied visa to an 11-member Indian delegation for participating in the World Tourism Day Fair in Lahore, resulting in India calling off its participation in the three-day event that began today.
More importantly, The Tribune understands a senior Indian diplomat posted in Islamabad was also not granted the requisite permission by the Pakistani Foreign Office for his travel from Islamabad to Lahore. As a result, India yesterday pulled out of the event because even if Islamabad were to give visa it would not have been possible for the Indian delegation to set up two pavilions in Lahore.
Ironically, the incident has come at a time when India and Pakistan are tipped to start the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail service linking Pakistan’s Sind with India’s Rajasthan and opening up yet another people-to-people contact point on the international border.
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh is also going to embark on a four-day visit to Pakistan from October 2 during which he is going to hold talks with the Pakistani leadership, including his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri. Apart from Islamabad, Mr Natwar Singh is visiting Karachi also.
India did not come up with any reaction on the development on its own and parried a response when asked by this correspondent, suggesting New Delhi did not want it to act as a spoiler less than a week ahead of Mr Natwar Singh’s important visit to Pakistan.
