Guests at Indian envoy’s Iftar party ‘turned away’ by Pakistan

In a surprise action, Indian diplomats and guests, invited by the High Commission of India in Islamabad for an Iftar party, were turned away by Pakistan authorities. Reacting to the incident, India said that such incidents were deeply disappointing. The Indian envoy in Pakistan Ajay Bisaria, while speaking to ANI, regretted the incident saying, Such intimidation tactics are deeply disappointing. As per the agency, a number of guests, who were present at the event were reportedly intimidated by Pakistan officials. Some guests even received calls threatening them with consequences if they attended the party. Extra scrutiny was also thrust upon the guests who attended the party and also forced some to return for the function. The Indian High Commission in Pakistan has been hosting Iftar for last 12 years now. The tradition to was started by Sibi George, who is currently an Indian Ambassador to Switzerland. Also read: Kartarpur corridor on Indian side to be completed by September 30 The development comes at a time when relations between India and Pakistan are strained. While PM Narendra Modi invited leaders from BIMSTEC nations for his swearing-in ceremony, Pakistan PM Imran Khan was not invited. Soon after the Narendra Modi government came back to power, prime ministers of India and Pakistan spoke on the phone. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a landslide win, winning 303 out of the total of 543 in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.