ISLAMABAD        -       India has issued visas to only 249 Pakistani pilgrims to visit Ajmer Sharif against 488 applicants, who intended to visit the shrine of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (RA) in Rajasthan.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, more than 200 Pakistani pilgrims were deprived of paying homage to the Sufi saint.

The Indian authorities also declined visas to six officials, deputed to take care of the pilgrims during their stay in India. Only one of the six officials was granted permission to go with the Zaireen, the Pakistani authorities announced yesterday. All the Zaireen have been conveyed through short service message to reach Lahore from where they will embark on a journey to India on January 24.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Sufi tomb (Dargah) of the revered Sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti, located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi has been generous to grant visas to Indian pilgrims who regularly visit the Sikh and Hindu shrines in Pakistan.