Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, along with the 84 other heads of foreign missions from New Delhi visited the Golden Temple on the 550th birthday of Sikhism founder, Guru Nanak Dev. The foreign heads were a part of the celebrations held at the Golden temple.

The country heads of Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, USA and Nepal were present at the Golden temple.

The visit was organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in collaboration with the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Puri and ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe accompanied the heads of missions.

Puri said, “Envoys of all the countries were invited for the visit. Busy schedule may be reason behind their absence”. The envoys of Pakistan, China and the United Kingdom (UK) couldn’t make it for the visit.

In a brief address, Puri said, “Motive of the bringing the envoys to the shrine was to disseminate Guru’s message of brotherhood and world peace in the world.”

Following the Union Cabinet’s decision to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev across the globe, the ICCR had invited the envoys in New Delhi to visit the Golden Temple.

With inputs from Agencies.