Avoid Pak till situation improves: Govt

“The Government of India is of the view that it is not advisable for the Indian pilgrims to visit Pakistan in the prevailing situation when frequent terrorist attacks are taking place in Punjab province of Pakistan,where all the gurdwaras are situated,” the MHA advisory said.

“Accordingly,the government advises all Indian citizens to avoid undertaking any visit to Pakistan,till the security situation in Pakistan improves,” it said.

The advisory comes just days before the Guru Nanak Jayanti during which a large number of Sikhs travel to Pakistan to visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. A few groups of Sikhs were preparing to leave for Pakistan in the next couple of days.

Sources in the Home Ministry said there was no ban on travel to Pakistan and the advisory was just in the nature of alerting the people about the possible dangers in visiting that country. “If people still decide to go to Pakistan,they are free to do so. The government doesn’t intend to stop anyone from doing that,” a source said.

Sikhs have a number of important religious sites in Pakistan which attract hundreds of visitors from India. Some pilgrimage centres for Hindus are also located in Pakistan.

The advisory comes in the wake of a series of deadly terrorist attacks in different parts of Pakistan,including the latest one in Lahore last week that left about 40 people dead.