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Shia Muslims seek transit facilities through Pak

A prominent body of Shia Muslims has urged President Pervez Musharraf to provide transit facilities through Pakistan to Indian pilgrims to reduce the expenditure involved in travelling to pilgrim centres in countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The convenor of Shia Point, Zaheer Zaidi, said almost all major Islamic holy places are located in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. ''The countries are across Pakistan from India. Under the prevailing situation, a pilgrim has no alternative but to travel by air, which works out to be very expensive. If the pilgrims are allowed to travel by surface through Pakistan, the expenses would be drastically reduced," he said.

Zaidi said air fare from Delhi to Teheran and back is Rs 30,000, while it will not cost more than Rs 2,000 if the journey is undertaken by road through Pakistan.

''There is a rail connection to Zahedan, which is located on the Pakistan-Iran border. Pilgrims can travel from Lahore to Quetta and from Quetta to Zahedan, a part of Iranian territory," he said.

Similarly, he suggested that pilgrims can travel by road from Iraq to Saudi Arabia and then to Syria and Jordan.

Zaidi said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in a unilateral gesture recently, had liberalised visa procedures for Pakistanis visiting India. ''President Musharraf should reciprocate this goodwill gesture by granting permission to Indian Shia Muslims to travel through Pakistan to visit holy Islamic shrines,'' he said.

UNI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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