Pakistan officials told us not to apply for Anupam Kher's visa: Lit fest organiser

New Delhi: Organisers of the Karachi Literature Festival(KLF) on Tuesday said Pakistani officials asked them not to apply for Anupam Kher's visa, effectively seconding the actor's claim that he was singled out.

KLF spokesperson Ameena Saiyid told CNN-IBN that unnamed officials at Pakistan's High Commission asked her to tell Kher not to submit a visa application as he would not be issued one.

Saiyid however said she did not know the reason why Kher was denied a visa, volunteering to guess it could be because of "some statements he made recently."

Kher, who was also participating in the TV show, immediately thanked Saiyid for her "brave" revelation.

The KLF organiser's admission comes on a day the Bollywood actor alleged that Pakistani authorities discriminated against him because he was Kashmiri Pandit who openly aired his views.

Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day prestigious event by the organisers, but he is the only one who has been denied a visa.

Pakistani authorities have so far denied Kher's charges claiming instead that the actor never applied for any visa.

"The reality is that he never applied for a visa," Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit said.

The other 17 Indian participants who have been given the travel document included senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and actor Nandita Das.

"I am hurt, I am not angry. I just want to know why I was denied the visa," the actor who was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan said.

When asked whether it had anything to do with his support to BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the intolerance debate, Kher said his political views could be one reason.

"The things that came to my mind for the visa rejection was either because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because I am openly talking on intolerance," he said

Kher also thanked KLF organisers for the invite saying he will visit next year if he is extended an invite.

The actor was denied a visa last year in May to visit Lahore on an invitation of a Pakistani NGO and security reasons were cited for the decision.