India declines visa to Pakistani pilgrims

Shrine of sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya Pakistan on Saturday condemned India's decision to refuse visas to Pakistanis pilgrims travelling to the country to visit the shrine of sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal in a statement said it was a last-minute decision by India to decline the the visas, adding that the refusal was against the principles of Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974, between the two countries. The protocol governs visits by the citizens of both countries for religious purposes. A number of religious pilgrims from both countries are issued visas every year to visit places of religious importance.