New Delhi: The Lahore High Court dismissed the intra-court appeal of Shihab Chuttor, who is planning to walk from Kerala to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj in 2023.
Shihab Chuttor reached Pakistan’s Wagah border in September, where he could not get a transit visa. Sarwar Taj, a citizen of Lahore, filed an intra-court appeal in the Lahore High Court against the non-grant of a visa. This intra-court appeal was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Akhtar Shabbir.
Sarwar Taj, a Pakistani citizen, had challenged Shahab’s denial of a transit visa in the Lahore High Court, which was heard by Justice Shahid Waheed last month and dismissed his petition on October 12. After that, Sarwar Taj filed an intra-court appeal in the Lahore Court on this issue.
Sarwar told the court that earlier, hundreds of Sikh pilgrims were issued visas to Pakistan on the occasion of Baba Gurunak Devji’s birthday and on Tuesday also around 100 Hindus have come to Pakistan to participate in their religious rituals. A transit visa should be issued to Shihab as well.
Shahi Imam of Ludhiana Punjab Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianawi had said in the past that Pakistan betrayed Shihab Chuttor. According to the Shahi Imam of Punjab, when Shihab Chuttor reached the Wagah border after traveling about 3000 kilometers on foot, now the government of Pakistan has clearly refused to grant visa. This attitude of Pakistani officers is surprising.
Shihab Chuttor says that it was my childhood wish which is now going to be fulfilled. “I have been hearing stories of people trekking from Kerala to the holy land of Makkah since childhood,” he says. As a child, I had a dream that I would go to Makkah on foot.
