A group of Pakistani academics — two professors and their three students from history and political science departments of a Lahore college — set out to attend the recently held literature festival at Jaipur, India. They entered India via the Wagha land border on Jan. 24 wherein they were informed that the scheduled train to Jaipur had been cancelled and they had to go to Delhi. Next morning they took a taxi from Delhi to Jaipur.
Soon after checking in a hotel, intelligence police took them to their office. After spending six hours in their office, they were asked to go back to Delhi and get registered at a police station. When they reached Delhi, they were informed by Delhi police that they had unnecessarily traveled to Delhi and could go back to Jaipur. When they reached Jaipur on Jan. 26, they were again asked by intelligence police to complete the paperwork, which continued all day. On Jan. 27 they were able to join the literature festival that concluded on Jan. 28. Obviously it was a tactic to psychologically (and financially) scare the Pakistani guests. It would have been understandable if the opposition parties had demonstrated against the participation of Pakistani writers. However, it was the governmental machinery which appeared to be working on some previously chalked-out strategy.Not a very promising way to handle delicate relations at public level between these two odd and insensitive neighbors.
Jaipur literary fest
