Pakistan voices concern over campaign against its prominent personalities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed concern over campaign against prominent Pakistani personalities in India by a "fundamentalist organisation" and said there is a need to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur.

Pakistan's reaction came a day after Shiv Sena activists blackened the face of ORF chief Sudheendra Kulkarni over his refusal to cancel the book launch function of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Mumbai.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena had threatened to disrupt Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's concerts, leading to cancellation of the events in Mumbai and Pune.

"We have noted with concern the attempts to disrupt functions organised in respect of prominent Pakistani personalities on visit to India," the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement last night.

The spokesperson referred to the cancellation of Ghulam Ali's concert "because of threats from a fundamentalist organisation" and attempts to disrupt the book launch function of Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

"There is a need to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur," he said.

Undeterred by the violent protest, the organisers, including the Observer Research Foundation, a foreign policy think-tank, yesterday went ahead with the book launch function in Mumbai which was held amid tight security following threats of disruption by the pro-Hindutva party.