550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak: Dalai Lama to be invited, says Pb minister

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will be among a host of dignitaries who will be invited to join the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev, Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said here on Friday.

Randhawa also said a Punjab government's delegation is awaiting the Centre's nod to visit Pakistan later this month to assess the progress of the Kartarpur Corridor project.

He said the Punjab delegation of state ministers and MLAs are also supposed to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the chief minister of the Punjab province of the neighbouring country.

In an informal interaction with reporters here, Jails Minister Randhawa said the Dalai Lama,83, a globally revered figure and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, will be among a host of religious and spiritual leaders who will be invited to join the celebrations in November.

"The Dalai Lama has been requested to join the celebrations. Besides, other top religious leaders from various faiths will also be invited," he said.

Asked how soon will the Punjab government delegation visit Pakistan, Randhawa replied, "As soon as our government gives us the permission. The day we get permission from the Centre we will go."
Commenting on the ongoing work on the Kartapur Corridor, Randhawa said, "The work is still slow on our side. I had met secretary, Border Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and told him that we need to speed up work on our side. He assured that manpower will be doubled and work will be expedited."