New Delhi, March 15: India has denied 7 Pakistani diplomats permission to visit Kolkata for the high-voltage World T20 encounter between India and Pakistan on March 19 due to security reasons.

World T20 Special Site; Photos

Terming the development as unfortunate, an official at the Pakistan High Commission here, who wished not to be named, told IANS on Tuesday (March 15) the diplomats intended to boost the morale of their cricket team.

"It is unfortunate that India, despite being the host of the World Cup, is refusing to fulfill its obligations and creating hurdles," he said.

The official told IANS that appropriate steps would be taken and the "Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad will also be summoned".

IANS has meanwhile reliably learnt that the external affairs ministry has denied permission to the diplomats in question as they belong to the Inter-Services Intelligence and their travel posed a security threat.

IANS