The Indian government has denied visit visas to 170 Pakistani tourists who were hoping to complete a religious tour across India.
The visas were denied on the grounds of Covid-19 precautions, according to Faith Tourism Coordinator MNA Dr. Ramesh Kumar.
The group had registered a four-day tour to visit Ajmer Sharif, New Delhi, Mith, Jaipur, as well as other notable locations across India.
As per the existing 1974 agreement, both Indian and Pakistani pilgrims are granted the right to visit each other's countries for religious tourism. However, India has reportedly refused to recognize the travel exemption for faith-based tourists.
Meanwhile, Pakistan granted a visa to a Sikh man from India who had recently reunited with his long-lost brother at the Kartarpur Corridor. The two brothers, who lived on opposite sides of the Line Of Control (LoC), had not seen each other since Partition, 74 years ago.
The video of the two elderly brothers reuniting went viral on social media, showing the two men tearfully embracing after their long separation.
According to the popular Pakistani-based YouTube Channel, Punjabi Lehar, which helped organize the meeting, Sika Khan was a toddler when he was separated from his older brother, Muhammad Siddique.
"A civil war was raging on and my father and other family members decided to migrate immediately to save lives and we came to Pakistan,” Siddique recounted.
The two brothers said they had not tried to meet earlier because, they had each assumed the other had died during Partition.
The visas were denied on the grounds of Covid-19 precautions, according to Faith Tourism Coordinator MNA Dr. Ramesh Kumar.
The group had registered a four-day tour to visit Ajmer Sharif, New Delhi, Mith, Jaipur, as well as other notable locations across India.
As per the existing 1974 agreement, both Indian and Pakistani pilgrims are granted the right to visit each other's countries for religious tourism. However, India has reportedly refused to recognize the travel exemption for faith-based tourists.
Meanwhile, Pakistan granted a visa to a Sikh man from India who had recently reunited with his long-lost brother at the Kartarpur Corridor. The two brothers, who lived on opposite sides of the Line Of Control (LoC), had not seen each other since Partition, 74 years ago.
The video of the two elderly brothers reuniting went viral on social media, showing the two men tearfully embracing after their long separation.
According to the popular Pakistani-based YouTube Channel, Punjabi Lehar, which helped organize the meeting, Sika Khan was a toddler when he was separated from his older brother, Muhammad Siddique.
"A civil war was raging on and my father and other family members decided to migrate immediately to save lives and we came to Pakistan,” Siddique recounted.
The two brothers said they had not tried to meet earlier because, they had each assumed the other had died during Partition.