Hindu Pilgrims Cancel Trip to Pakistan Due to Cross-Border Tension
Indian ministry sources said that they had not told the pilgrims to cancel their trip.
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About 200 Hindu pilgrims in India cancelled their trip to Pakistan as they were not allowed to undertake the journey due to ongoing tension between the two countries, an official said on Saturday.
The pilgrims were issued visas by the Pakistan High Commission for the trip to holy Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district near capital Islamabad.
They were scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on 28 November on a three-day pilgrimage to Katas temple complex, considered one of the most holy sites for Hindus – said Siddique ul Farooq, chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).
"Their scheduled visit has been cancelled," Farooq told Dawn newspaper.
"We had issued visas to the pilgrims but their government did not allow them to visit Pakistan," he said, adding that comprehensive security arrangements had been made for the Indian pilgrims.
Farooq cited the border tension as the reason behind the cancellation of the visit.
However, Indian ministry sources said that they had not told the pilgrims to cancel their trip and that the call may have been taken by the organisers.
Hindu pilgrims visit Katas Raj twice a year, in February and November.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri on 18 September and the resultant "surgical strike" on terrorist launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the army 10 days later.
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