Sikh pilgrims asked to cancel visit to holy sites in Pak

Around 300 Indian Sikh pilgrims, who arrived here last week, have been asked by Pakistani authorities to cancel their visit to holy sites in the country due to security concerns in the wake of a series of terror attacks, including on the army headquarters.

The Sikh pilgrims had come to Pakistan to attend celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Ramdas in Lahore and were scheduled to visit Gurdwara Hassanabdal near Rawalpindi and Gurdwara Janamasthan in Nankana Sahib.
    
They were also scheduled to visit holy places in other parts of Punjab province, but Pakistani authorities asked them to remain in Lahore after the attack on the army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
    
"We have asked them not to visit the other holy places under the present circumstances. We cannot ensure their security, especially in Hassan Abdal," Fraz Abbas, deputy director of the Evacuee Trust Property Board which maintains Sikh shrines in Pakistan, said.