Pro-Palestine group fails to get permission to cross Wagah

A group of pro-Palestine Indian activists, who began their road journey to Gaza via Pakistan from here yesterday, has not received permission to cross into Wagah from the Indian side.

34 of the 51-member group, which includes some journalists, were given Pakistani visa yesterday to go up to Lahore by crossing the Wagah land border tomorrow morning after reluctance.

The Indian contingent, which left the national capital yesterday with the hope of travelling till Lahore by road, were upset as they failed to get the necessary permission from the MEA.

"We were hoping to get the permission. But we have not got any written letter from the MEA. We applied a month back," Biraj Patnaik, one of the participants, told PTI.

He said the contingent will reach Attari and stage a dharna there protest against the "denial of permission" by the MEA.

"We have decided to go till the border and launch a sit-in protest there. Why is the Indian government not letting us to got Pakistan even as the Pakistan government has granted visa to visit Lahore," he asked.

Originally, the activists were scheduled to travel by road through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt before entering Gaza with medical aid.

But, the Indian contingent was allowed by the Pakistan government to travel to Lahore, from where the members will take a flight to Iran to continue their road journey to reach Gaza on December 28.