Date:12/01/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/12/stories/2003011204600100.htm

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Pak. writers denied visa

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JAN. 11. Thirteen eminent Punjabi writers from Pakistan, who were to attend the International Punjabi Writers' Conference beginning here tomorrow, have been denied visa by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

According to Rawail Singh, secretary of the Delhi Government's Punjabi Academy, which is organising the conference, "a similar conference is being organised by the Punjabi University at Patiala which had extended invitations directly to the 13 Pakistani writers. After Patiala, they were to visit Delhi. But unfortunately this is not going to happen now.''

After receiving the invitation from the Punjabi University, the writers had reportedly approached the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad who had asked them to get their invitations routed through the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi.

"As there was not enough time left to carry out the painstaking work of going around in the North Block, the organising committee decided to go ahead with its function without the Pakistani guests.''

Eminent writers who were to attend the conference included Fakhar Zaman, Sugra Sadaf, Kanwal Mushtaq, Iqbal Fareed and Hayaat Ahmad Khan.