KARACHI: Lord Mountbatten, who heads the British special immigration mission, has been forced to abandon his proposed Pakistan trip, because the Pakistan Government is understood to have expressed its dislike against such a visit.

The cancellation of Lord Mountbatten’s trip was influenced by strong resentment expressed by Pakistanis who are still bitter against him and have not forgotten his unjust behaviour against their country when he was the Governor-General of India.

Pakistan authorities have, however, indicated to London that [the] rest of the members of his mission would be welcome to this country. Lord Mountbatten was to come to seek Pakistan’s views on the question of immigrants. A spokesman of the British High Commission said in Karachi: “Lord Mountbatten will not himself be coming to Pakistan.” The spokesman, however, did not elaborate his statement. He also could not say when the other members of the mission will arrive in Pakistan.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Lahore], Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, Amir Jamaat-i-Islami has served a notice on the Central Home Secretary, requesting him to withdraw his order dated Jan 21, 1964 cancelling his passport, a Party Press release said. .

The notice served by his counsel Mr G. H. Abbasi, said that if the order was not withdrawn and the passport not restored to Maulana Maudoodi within a week of the receipt of this notice the Maulana would take legal proceedings against the Government “to assert his right to hold Pakistani passport as a citizen of Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2015

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