(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The long-standing hostility between India and Pakistan has extended to a literary festival, with New Delhi refusing to allow two Pakistani diplomats from attending the event.
The two New Delhi-based Pakistani diplomats had sought permission from India's External Affairs ministry to visit the historic city of Jaipur to attend a popular literary festival held there annually.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Friday that denial of permission did not specifically have anything to do with the festival but was a "coincidence." "Let's not confuse coincidence with any specific decision vis-a-vis the Jaipur festival or for that matter anything else," Khurshid said.
"Diplomatic requests are made from time to time to the ministry for travelling across the country. "In most cases, these requests are accepted and in come cases, for specific reasons at that time best known to the ministry and other agencies, we have to say no," he said. Several noted Pakistani writers are participating in the festival.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.