LAHORE: A group of 50 Pakistani students and teachers visiting India at the invitation of an NGO were sent back on Wednesday after receiving threats from Hindu extremist organisation Shiv Sena.

Dehli-based NGO Rou­tes2Roots had invited 50 students from Pakistan as a part of their student ‘‘Exchange for Change’’ Programme. The students aged between 11 to 15 years, had crossed the Wagah border on Monday for a five-day exchange trip to promote “peace and harmony” between the two neighbouring countries.

The students and teachers were supposed to visit Agra on Wednesday and later meet Indian students at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. Their trip was, however, cut short after the host organisation received threats from Shiv Sena for inviting the students in the back­drop of the Indian government’s allegations that Pakistani soldiers had killed and mutilated the bodies of two soldiers of the Indian army patrol near the Line of Control.

Keeping in view the safety of the students, Indian officials advised the NGO to send the students back and termed the current situation ‘unfavourable’ for an exc­hange programme. They escorted the students to the Wagah border amid tight security.

Talking to journalists at the Wagah border, a student said they were having dinner on Tuesday evening when the person in charge of the trip told them that they had to return to Pakistan the next day. The students had panicked upon hearing about the threat and stayed in their rooms, she said.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2017