Hyderabad, Mar 03: Despite the thaw in Indo-Pak relations, 15 Pakistani poets have been denied visas to visit the Andhra Pradesh capital to take part in the centenary celebrations of Anwarul Uloom College (AUC), beginning on March 7. Anwarul Uloom Educational Association secretary Mahboob Alam Khan told reporters: "We had invited 17 poets and writers of Pakistan to participate in the Indo-Pak seminar and mushaira. But, the Indian Embassy in Pakistan has expressed its inability to clear visas to the poets on technical grounds stating that the Union Home Ministry has to issue a letter for the clearance".
"Though we have urged the Union Home Ministry to take necessary steps in issuing visas", Khan claimed "nothing has been done to clear the formalties in issuing the visas to Pakistani poets."
Only two visas -- for Ayaz Amir, journalist and columnist of Karachi-based daily Dawn and writer Ahmed Faraz -- have been cleared, he said. The Pakistani poets and writers whose request has been rejected were Prof Jamal Jalibi, Prof Fathi Moh Malik, Iftekhar Ahmed Arif, Ayaz Ameer, Muslim Shameem, Saba Ikram, Mazher Jameel, Hussaini Abidi, Zaher Akber Bedri, Owaiz Azeezi, Khalid Aligireen, Qamer Shadab, Agha Saleem, Gulam Nabi Mughal and Mazher Jaweed, the official added. Bureau Report