Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday welcomed British Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to pay homage to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre martyrs and regret the incident as "a shameful event in British history".
A government spokesperson said the chief minister described Cameron's visit to the carnage site in Amritsar as "a historic day for the country" and hoped that the visit would strengthen the relations between the two countries.

Badal said the visit would help boost an era of mutual understanding and brotherhood, while creating a healthy and harmonious atmosphere for the bilateral economic development.

Badal said the entire country, especially the people of Punjab, had been waiting for "such an apology for long".

"The visit by the British Prime Minister to Jallianwala Bagh itself conveys a lot," Badal added.