Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noorul Haq Qadri said on Monday that India has refused to issue visas to 500 Pakistanis wishing to attend the Urs (death anniversary) of Sufi Saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.
The pilgrims were to leave for India on March 7 to attend the Urs of the saint who is also known as "Gharib Nawaz" - guardian of the poor. "India has revealed its extremist face. India is held hostage by the extremists," he said, adding that Pakistanis have been deprived of attendance to the Urs for two years.
The announcement comes at a time when both the neighbours-Pakistan and India-are engaged in heightened tensions after Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian fighter jets and captured one pilot, Wing Commander Abhi Nandan, who was released later.
The minister said that Indian embassy had informed them of the cancellation of the visa applications for the visitors through a telephone call. The ministry later informed the aspiring pilgrims about refusal of their visas through a text message.
He added that the Indian embassy had not yet returned the passports of the visa applicants. During the Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, only 190 of 400 visa requests were approved last year, the minister said. Qadri said that on the other hand Pakistan issued visas for 5,600 Sikh pilgrims as well as 312 Hindu pilgrims in one year. The minister also revealed that 98 Sikh pilgrims reached Pakistan for religious pilgrimages on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Monday extended the deadline for receipt of Hajj applications for three more days due to difficulties faced by people in some areas. The Hajj applications will now be received till March 9 while the ballot will be held on March 11.