Pakistan bars Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria from visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib

Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria was on Saturday prevented from visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Pakistan’s Hasan Abdal near Rawalpindi, despite having required permission to visit.

“Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria stopped from visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Pakistan’s Hasan Abdal, despite having required permission,” ANI tweeted.

Bisaria, who was accompanied by his wife, had to return to Islamabad despite having obtained all necessary permissions for the visit in advance, sources said. 

India has taken up the issue with Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

“The Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan was summoned today and a strong protest was lodged at the denial of access to the Indian High Commissioner and consular officials of the Indian High Commission to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib and meet the Indian pilgrims despite a travel permission having been granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. A strong protest was also registered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad at the incident,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Bisaria was supposed to meet Sikh pilgrims at the Gurudwara.

This was the second time Bisaria was asked to return to Islamabad while on his way to Panja Sahib.

Earlier on April 14, High Commissioner Bisaria, who was to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib at the invitation of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman, was suddenly asked to return while en route to the shrine, for unspecified “security” reasons.

“This is the second consecutive time, Pakistan has denied access to Indian High Commissioner to meet the visiting pilgrims who are Indian nationals,” the MEA statement added.