Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday his government would try to resolve the problem faced by Sikhs banned from wearing turbans in state-run schools in France, and explore ways of easing the community's access to Guru Nanak's birthplace in Pakistan.
As he paid homage on Friday at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, Manmohan Singh also gave a call for peace and unity.
Responding to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee's (DSGMC) plea protesting against a ban on religious symbols, the Prime Minister said he was in touch with the French government.
He hoped the issue would be resolved soon. The French government has barred students in state-run schools from wearing religious symbols, and Sikh boys have been told not to wear the turban, which is seen as a religious symbol.
The DSGMC fears that if New Delhi does not take up the issue strongly at the diplomatic level, other countries could follow with similar ban on turbans.
The committee also asked the Prime Minister to start a direct bus service from New Delhi to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak in Pakistan, and to do away with the quota system for pilgrims going to Pakistan.