The Shirmoni Akali Dal Delhi organized a reception to welcome Pakistan´s new High Commissioner to India Sohal Mahmood on 22 December 2017. Prominent Sikhs from Punjab and Delhi, and members of Pakistan High Commission, attended the event. Mr. Paramjit Singh Sarna, former Vice Chancellor Guru Nanak Dev University (Amritsar) Dr. S.P. Singh, and Prof. Gurtaj Singh (IAS) spoke on the occasion. High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, in his remarks, highlighted the measures taken by the Government of Pakistan to facilitate the visits of Sikh yatress to Gurdwaras in Pakistan under the “1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines”. Noting that Guru Nanak Dev University was being established in Pakistan, the High Commissioner also stressed the importance of academic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.