LAHORE: Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal has voiced regrets over non-issuance of visas by India for the visit of the 192 Pakistani pilgrims to participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia (RA) in Delhi.
During a briefing at FO, the spokesperson terms India’s denial for issuing visas as “unfortunate”, adding it is against the spirit of the 1974 Protocol.
“Besides being a violation of the bilateral Protocol, and the basic human right to religious freedoms, such measures also undermine the efforts aimed at improving the environment, increasing people-to-people contacts and normalising relations between the two countries,” said Faisal.
He also voiced concerns over the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir saying: “Indian occupation forces during violent, armed and illegal operations and fake encounters killed three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district.”
He also condemned the arrest of Hurriyat leaders and asked the human rights defenders to stand up for the rights of the kashmiris.
The FO spokesperson announced that Pakistan will release 146 fishermen on January 8.
The spokesperson also condemned the terrorist attacks in the Afghan city of Jalalabad and the northern province of Balkh.
“We are grieving the loss of precious lives and express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded”, Faisal said.
Pakistan reassures its full support for Afghanistan in the war against terror, he added.
It was the first FO briefing for the year.