Pakistani 'regrets' non-issuance of visas to its pilgrims for Urs
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday voiced regret over the non-issuance of visas by India to Pakistani pilgrims for the Urs (anniversary) of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi from January 1-8.
The visit was to take place under the provisions of the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines and is a regular, annual feature, said the Foreign Office in a statement.
It said the non-issuance of visas is "unfortunate and runs counter to the letter and spirit of the 1974 Protocol and objective of people-to-people contacts".
The Foreign Office also said that earlier this year, "despite Pakistan's offer to send a special train, Indian delays resulted in Sikh pilgrims from India being unable to participate in the Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh".
The development comes amid a war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad over the circumstances of the meeting between alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and his family in Islamabad.
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Bihar hooch tragedy toll rises to nine as three more persons die
Motihari (PTI): The toll in the hooch tragedy in Bihar's East Champaran district rose to nine on Sunday after three more people who had consumed spurious liquor died, officials said.
The first death was reported on Thursday, they said.
A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with the deaths in the Turkauliya and Raghunathpur areas of Motihari, District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said.
A case of murder has already been registered on the basis of complaints filed by the family members of the deceased, police said.
Jorwal said one person is still in the hospital and his condition is reported to be critical.
"Seven persons have already been discharged after treatment," he told PTI.
"The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of the deaths can only be known after the reports arrive," he said.
The SHO of Turkauliya police station has already been suspended on charge of dereliction of duty, and a special investigation team has been constituted to probe the incident, officials said.
The deaths have led to a political slugfest in the state, where the sale and consumption of alcohol has been banned since 2016.
