Pak delegation pulls out from SAARC Sufi festival

In the wake of the recent tension between India and Pakistan, a Pakistani delegation which was scheduled to attend the SAARC Sufi festival has pulled out from the three-day event beginning here this Friday.
The delegation comprising authors, writers, poets and Sufis will not be attending the festival to be held from October 14-16 at the Diggi palace.
"The delegation members have cancelled their participation to the event. The reason for most of them is the recent tension between the two countries following which the schedule of the event has been revised accordingly," Ram Pratap Diggi, the local associate of the organisers, said.

The event is being organised by SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL).
"The festival will held on scheduled dates but without the Pakistani delegation," he said.
Sources said it was feared that their presence may invite protests and demonstrations, so they preferred to cancel their visit to India.
Topics like Sufism and Its Inter Religious Links, Sufi-Bhakti Harmony, Promoting Sufi Tenets for World Peace, Teachings of Sufism and Application in Today's Life, Role of Education in Developing Human Values for Harmony, Dance and Sufism, Women in Sufism, Music and Spirituality, Poetry in Sufism will be discussed by panelists in the festival.

Last month, following threats by Hindu outfits, Mayo College, Ajmer had called off an event under an exchange programme in which a delegation from Pakistan was scheduled to attend from October 2-5.