India lodges protest with Pakistan

New Delhi called the Pakistani action a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

“India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over a block of access for visiting pilgrims to Indian diplomats and consular teams,” the ministry said.

It alleged that Pakistan breached the “the code of conduct (for the treatment of diplomatic and consular personnel in India and Pakistan) of 1992, recently reaffirmed by both countries”.

“The high commission was prevented from performing its basic consular and protocol duties,” the ministry said.

Giving permission to pilgrims to meet Indian diplomats is a standard practice that helps consular teams to reach out to its visiting citizens in case of medical or family emergencies. “This year the consular team has been denied access to Indian Sikh pilgrims,” the ministry said.

The consular team could not meet the pilgrims on their arrival at Wagah railway station on April 12.

The Pakistan foreign ministry clarified the security reasons. “In the run-up to the main function, the ETPB authorities noticed strong resentment among segments of Sikh Yatrees, gathered there from different parts of the world, protesting the release in India of some film on Baba Guru Nanak Devji,” the Pakistan Foreign Office said.

It said that the ETPB authorities suggested the Indian high commission officials to cancel the visit “considering an emotionally charged environment and the possibility of any untoward situation”. It went on to say that officials of the Indian high commission have duly visited Gurdwara Punja Sahib on Sunday.

Also it accused India of violating the 1974 agreement twice this year by denying “visas to Pakistani pilgrims on occasions of Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri and scuttled at least three visits of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims … since June 2017”.