Justin Trudeau to visit India in February, says Indian news report

OTTAWA – An Indian news outlet is reporting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit India in February and may pay a visit to the Punjab region’s famed Golden Temple.

The Indian Express reports that an advance team from the PMO logistics branch visited Amritsar this week and is checking possible locations.

The Prime Minister’s Office says it has people in India exploring trip opportunities, but won’t confirm a visit.

Trudeau has made deepening economic ties with India a priority and recently completed his second visit to China as part of diversifying the government’s trade agenda.

Hindus and Muslims make up the majority of India’s pluralistic society, with Sikhs just a small fraction.

But a large and politically active Sikh population in Canada has made the Golden Temple an attractive destination for Canadian politicians.

Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper visited the site in 2009 and then-prime minister Jean Chretien was there in 2003.