India protests attempts to incite Indian pilgrims on visit to Pakistan

ADVERTISEMENT

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesterday summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan and lodged a strong protest with him against attempts being made during the ongoing visit of Sikh pilgrims from India to Pakistan to raise the issue of ‘Khalistan' by making inflammatory statements and displaying posters at various places of pilgrims visit in that country.

 

"Pakistan was called upon to immediately stop all such activities that were aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and incitement of disharmony in India," a statement from MEA said.

 

"It was conveyed that such repeated attempts by authorities and entities in Pakistan to extend support to secessionist movements in India amount to interference in the internal affairs of India. Moreover, such incidents during the visit of the Indian pilgrims went against the spirit of the bilateral Protocol of 1974 governing the exchange of visits of pilgrims between the two countries," the statement added.

 

Earlier, on April 15, India had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over a block of access for the visiting pilgrims to Indian diplomats and consular teams. 

 

A "jatha" of around 1800 Sikh yatris has been travelling in Pakistan from April 12 , under a bilateral agreement on facilitating visits to religious shrines.

 

The Ministry had said on that date that a standard  practice has been that the Indian High Commission’s consular/protocol team is attached with visiting pilgrims, to perform consular and protocol duties, like helping out in medical or family emergencies. 

 

"However, this year, the consular team has been denied access to Indian Sikh pilgrims. The team could not meet the pilgrims on their arrival at Wagah Railway Station on April 12. Similarly, it was denied entry into Gurdwara Panja Sahib on April 14, for a scheduled meeting with pilgrims there. The High Commission was thus prevented from performing basic consular and protocol duties for Indian citizens," it had said.

 

The release said that, moreover, on April 14, the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, who was to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib at the invitation of the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), was suddenly asked to return while en route to the shrine, for unspecified "security" reasons. 

 

"The High Commissioner, who was to greet Indian pilgrims on the occasion of Baisakhi, was thus compelled to return without meeting Indian citizens," it said.

 

"India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan against this inexplicable diplomatic discourtesy, pointing out that these incidents constitute a clear violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961, the bilateral Protocol to visit Religious Shrines, 1974 and the Code of Conduct (for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan) of 1992, recently reaffirmed by both countries," the release had added.

 

NNN

 

ADVERTISEMENT