ISLAMABAD, 1 December 2005 — Pakistan permitted 2000 Sikhs to visit Nankana Sahib yesterday for their annual pilgrimage to Sheikhupura in the Punjab District, the birth place of Guru Nanak.
The Sikhs from India crossed the Wagah Border, while others came from the UK,USA, Canada and from different parts of Pakistan.
Interior Ministry officials said ,"That for the first time that we have given permission to such a large number of Sikhs to visit Nankana Sahib."
"My efforts to invite many Sikhs have paid off and with the thawing of relations (between India and Pakistan), many more will come," said Gayan Singh a member of the National Assembly from Swat.
Singh said the gesture by the Pakistan government followed the close relations President Pervez Musharraf enjoys with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is also a Sikh and hails from the Chakwal District of Punjab.
Asiri Meets Hayat
In another development, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Saeed Al-Asiri visited the earthquake- stricken region of Muzzaffarabad yesterday. He inspected the relief and rehabilitation activities at different camps. Later he held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Sardar Sikandar Hayat. The ambassador offered to build a mosque in the capital.
