ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday pledged his administration would devise a new strategy to ensure the welfare of the local Sikh community and improve facilities for visiting pilgrims, following a meeting with the head of a prominent US-based Sikh organization.
Pakistan is home to some of the holiest sites of the Sikh faith and has taken steps in recent years to show goodwill toward more than 20 million Sikhs in neighboring India despite mounting diplomatic and military tensions between the two countries.
The meeting also comes at a time when Islamabad seeks to reinforce the protection of its own religious minorities following incidents of violence targeting groups like Christians and Hindus, a matter that has drawn international scrutiny.
Pakistan is home to more than 15,000 Sikhs and every year Sikh pilgrims come to the country to visit Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the founder of their faith, along with other sacred places in their religion scattered across the country.
“We are trying to provide all possible facilities to the Sikh community coming to Pakistan,” Sharif said, according to a statement released by his office, after a meeting with Jaspreet Singh, President of the Sikh community in the US.
