India's denial of visa to Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid, who wanted to visit the country for the ongoing Indo-Pak cricket series, forced Islamabad to lodge a protest on Wednesday.

India's Deputy High Commssioner Manpreet Vohra was summoned to the Pakistan Foreign Office to lodge the protest.

The controversial Pakistan minister had requested for the visa, saying he had been invited as a guest by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

But the Indian government refused to entertain the request in view of his controversial background. Rashid, who claims to be of Kashmiri origin, had harboured militants in early 1990s, a fact disclosed by Jammu and Kashmir [Images] Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik two years back.

New Delhi refused the visa as it wanted to avoid a situation where questions could have been raised over allowing a person, who has directly helped militancy, to come to India.      Malik had said that Rashid had hosted scores of Kashmiri militants at his residence.