Heart of Asia: Pakistan PM adviser Sartaj Aziz not allowed to visit Golden Temple

AMRITSAR: Pakistani Prime Minister's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, who is in Amritsar for the Heart of Asia conference, was denied a visit to the Golden Temple on Sunday.

Sources said Punjab police did not allow Aziz to leave the hotel after the conference due to security reasons.

There was speculation that Aziz wanted to brief the media at the Golden Temple.His early arrival on Saturday had led to conjectures over a possible bilateral interaction with national security adviser Ajit Doval or an Indian representative. Aziz was originally scheduled to reach India on Sunday .

For hours on Sunday , he was seen sitting in the hotel lobby along with Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit, his support staff and security officials. A senior Punjab cop said Aziz's Indian visa was valid only for 17 hours.

A PTI report quoted an Indian government source as saying that Aziz was not allowed to leave the hotel because of security reasons. "Security was very tight. Permission was not given due to security reasons. Security of our guests is paramount. India ensured no untoward incident took place," they said.

Security officials said Aziz was seated at a distance from Modi during Saturday's dinner. Aziz was seated alongside food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and her husband and Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal.