Mehbooba Mufti denied Pakistani visa

Pakistan has denied visa to People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti for attending a conference to be held in Islamabad from Monday.

No official reason was given for declining the visa to Mehbooba whose PDP is the main opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the PDP head said the security situation in Pakistan could be the reason for her not being considered for the visa. Mehbooba was to attend a three-day conference to be organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Islamabad. Officials in the Pakistan High Commission were silent on the matter. They had earlier conveyed to Mehbooba that her papers had been sent to Islamabad.

Noted academician and former Vice Chancellor of Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo was granted visa and he left for Islamabad on Saturday to attend the conference. The PDP chief had visited Pakistan twice before and attended a Pugwash conference there in March last year.