NEW DELHI, Feb 12: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may visit Pakistan in June to participate in a Sikh religious festival, news reports here said on Sunday.
They said Dr. Singh, the country’s only Sikh prime minister, has accepted a request from the Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee to attend the religious event it plans to hold at a gurdwara in Pakistan in June.
Press Trust of India said this was confirmed by SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar on Saturday.
“The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation to participate in a religious procession from Amritsar to Gurdwara Dera Sahib in June. The event, scheduled from June 12 to June 14, will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth guru,” Mr Makkar said after meeting the prime minister.
Also, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the top Sikh religious administrative body, has requested Dr. Singh to attend another event scheduled for June 16, at Tarn Taran in memory of the fifth Sikh guru, he said.
“The Prime Minister said he will shortly be sending us his programme regarding the event in Pakistan,” Mr Makkar said. “The SGPC also urged him to request Pakistan to allow a Sikh delegation’s visit to that country in order to make preparations for the religious event.”
