Musharraf denied visa by New Delhi

Former Pak president's anti-India statements cost him

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who wanted to visit India for attending a seminar this weekend, was denied visa by the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday.

The decision was taken after the Home Ministry expressed reservations over the visit of the former Pakistani military ruler due to his recent anti-India statements, official sources said.

"Besides, the government also did not want convergence of elements opposed to the present regime in Pakistan on Indian soil for their activities," sources told MiD DAY.

Some Musharraf supporters had also applied to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad for a visa to visit India around the time he was planning to travel here and the three other cities, the sources said.

Musharraf had been invited to attend a seminar hosted by the Young Presidents Organization, an international outfit involving influential business leaders.

The conference was scheduled to be held in Delhi on Saturday. The former Pakistan president was among the guest speakers at the event. Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Britain, had recently said that India was responsible for creating unrest in Pakistan's south-western Baluchistan province and authorities have "solid evidence" in this regard.

He claimed that the involvement of India and Afghanistan in Baluchistan was creating unrest in the province. He was also the key architect of the Kargil war. Almost a decade ago, Musharraf had visited India for the Agra summit and made two more visits in 2005 and 2009.

In 2005, he visited India as President for watching an Indo-Pak one day cricket match and in 2009 to attend a media event after shedding power.

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The WikiLeaks documents reveal that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was concerned for former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's well-being and wanted him to remain in power in 2007. The revelation was made in a secret cable message originating from the American embassy in Tel Aviv.

It records a meeting between Mossad chief and US Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns under the Bush administration. Burns met Mossad chief Meir Dagan on Aug 17, 2007, to give his assessment of the Middle East region, Pakistan and Turkey.