Nearly 150 Indian pilgrims, including 28 women and six children, who arrived on a visit to the Khatas Raj temple in Pakistan's Punjab province, have been left stranded for the last two days after crossing the Wagah border point as the authorities failed to make arrangements for their travel.
The concerned authorities failed to make arrangements for the transportation of the Hindu pilgrims to Chakwal for the second day on Sunday as a result they were kept in the immigration centre lawns in Wagah till late Saturday night before being shifted to a hotel in Lahore.
"We have been kept here like prisoners. If arrangements are not made for our transportation to Chakwal by Tuesday, we shall be left with no option but to return," Kundariya of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha was quoted as saying by the daily Dawn.
"The Evacuee Property Trust Board and the Foreign Office have been blaming each other for the mess for the last 48 hours, but are not taking measures to facilitate us," he said adding, that the Pakistan embassy had issued them visas for seven days with effect from November 12.
The Evacuee Property Trust Board, which usually makes arrangements for Hindu and Sikh pilgrims arriving in Islamabad from India or elsewhere, said it was not aware of their movement.
"We are busy in facilitating thousands of Sikh pilgrims who arrived in Islamabad a couple of days ago to attend the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. The Pakistan embassy did not intimate us before issuing visas to the pilgrims," EPTB officials said.
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