Amid the Kartarpur corridor bonhomie, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan for denying the former’s diplomats access to the visiting Sikh pilgrims from India.
The MEA claimed that despite having been granted prior travel permission by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, Consular officials of the High Commission of India in Islamabad were harassed and denied access on November 21 and 22 at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Sacha Sauda to the Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan under the Bilateral Protocol.
Two senior Indian officials were expected to fulfil their diplomatic and consular duties vis-a-vis Indian pilgrims.
“We have shared our grave concern that this is the third consecutive visit of the Indian Sikh pilgrims when Pakistan has prevented the Indian High Commission officials from meeting the visiting Indian nationals on the pretext of security in order to deflect attention from Pakistan’s violation of the international legal instruments and conventions,” said a formal Indian statement.
India also called it a breach of the letter and spirit of the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on visit to religious shrines and the code of conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan.
“Pakistan has been reminded that this is in contrast to the treatment met out to their High Commissioner and the consular officials in New Delhi, who have been provided full access to meet the Pakistani pilgrims who are currently in India on a pilgrimage to Kalyar Sharif,” added the Indian statement.
India also expressed “grave concern” at the reports of attempts being made during the ongoing visit of the Indian pilgrims for Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations to Pakistan “to incite communal disharmony and intolerance and promote secessionist tendencies with the objective of undermining India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“Pakistan has been called upon to take all measures not to allow its territory to be used for any hostile propaganda and support for secessionist tendencies against India in keeping with the commitments made under the Simla Agreement, and endorsed in the Lahore Declaration, 1999,” said the MEA.
Referendum 2020 campaign posters, banners and flags have reportedly been put up at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib Parikrama by Pakistan Evacuee Trust Board.
“The administrative control of Sikh holy places like gurdwaras is with the Sikh community. We do not interfere in their internal matters,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal dismissing the Indian allegations earlier on Thursday.
The Pakistan High Commission in Delhi has issued visas to some 3,800 Sikh devotees from India to attend the Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations along with Sikh pilgrims from across the globe from November 21 to 30.
