LAHORE: The Pakistani pilgrims who recently went to Delhi to take part in the annual Urs celebrations of Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Balchtiar Kaki on return have narrated instances of inhospitable treatment meted out to them by the civil and police officials of the Indian Government during their stay there.

The Deputy leader of the 100 pilgrims` party, Chaudhri Bashir Ahmad, in a statement, yesterday [July 16] said that the railway bogies allotted to the pilgrims, who went via HussainwalaFerozepur-Bathinda route, by the Station Master of Ferozepur were without light and water. The pilgrims were interned within a radius of 200 yards of the shrine and were not allowed to visit Delhi city even for a single hour.

The Mehroll town was declared out of bounds for them and they were not allowed to see the famous Qutub Minar.

Pakistani pilgrims, he said, were also not allowed to meet any Indian Muslim. A few relations (Indian nationals) of the pilgrims who were participating in the Urs were allowed only two minutes each to converse with the pilgrims and that, too, in the presence of the Indian C.LD. staff.

Two pilgrims fell sick but no medical aid was provided to them in spite of repeated requests by the party leader. Muslim Bhishtees (water carriers) and ice vendors were ordered not to go to the pilgrims` camp to sell ice and the pilgrims were forced to use unhygienic drinking water.

The partyleaders`requesttovisitthePakistan High Commission for half an hour was turned down by the C.LD. officials, he added.

The pilgrims were also refused permission to visit the shrines of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia Mehboob-i-Ilahi, Hazrat Amir Khusro and Hazrat Shah Kalim Ullah Wali.

They were not allowed even to say their Juma prayers in the Jamia Masjid, Delhi.

The Deputy leader of the party said, on the other hand, excellent and hospitable treatment accorded to the Indian Sikh pilgrims by the officials and people of Pakistan was known to everybody. Agencies