World Bank chief Ajay Pal Singh Banga offers prayers at Pakistan's Gurdwara Panja Sahib

World Bank chief Ajay Pal Singh Banga, who is on a four-day tour of Pakistan, paid obeisance at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal there. He was accompanied by his family and high- profile delegates.

Amid tight security arrangements, they also visited Texila Museum in Rawalpindi to see a comprehensive collection of stone and stucco sculptures from the Gandhara school of art. They were accompanied by Pakistan’s Federal Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister Local Government and community development Zeeshan Rafique, Secretary Tourism and Archeologicy Suqrat Aman Rana.

At the shrine, Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora, who is also the president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), welcomed Banga, his wife Anita Banga and others.

World Bank president Ajay Pal Singh Banga (left) partakes in langar with Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora at the langar hall of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib in Pakistan. Photo credit: Ramesh Singh Arora

Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Arora said, “It was an honour to welcome Banga and his wife here. This visit gave a global message of peace and interfaith harmony”, he said.

Related news: World Bank President Ajay Pal Singh Banga visits ancestral home in Pakistan’s Punjab

According to sources, Banga was requested to address those at the gurdwara but he gently declined, saying only the ‘Granthi sahib’ (priest) had the authority to speak inside the shrine.

He performed an ‘ardas’ and partook of langar. Banga also interacted with the local Sikh community.

Banga is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other key ministers.