LAHORE - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that PPP-led government wished to harmonise relations between the Muslim and Sikh community as well as other minorities in Pakistan.
“The government has set up ministry for inter-faith harmony in order to bring closer the various communities in the country”, he said during a meeting with the Sikh yatrees delegation which called on him at the Governor House here Tuesday.
The prime minister said minorities and women are my constituency and special attention was paid to make the Sikh pilgrims feel like home during their visit of gurdawaras across Pakistan.
Gilani said the Sikh-Muslim harmony was exemplary, adding that cordial relations between the two communities were admired all over the world. The premier also felicitated the Sikh community across the world on the advent of the Baisakhi festival, saying Pakistani people and the government share their joy on this festive occasion.
He said the government always facilitated the Sikh yatrees in their pilgrims to visit their holy places in Pakistan, adding that the Sikh pilgrims could visit Pakistan four times in a calendar year.
The Premier highlighted the initiatives of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Parbahandac Committee (PSGPC) to facilitate the Sikh yatrees during their sojourn in Pakistan.
Talking about some of the initiatives, he said that facilities at the gurdawaras across Pakistan were enhanced, as special dispensaries were set up with free medicine for pilgrims while security systems including CCTV, luggage scanners, metal detectors, walk-through gates as well as security gates were installed to ensure fool-proof security.
On the question of establishment of Baba Guru Nanak University by Pakistani Sikh community, the Prime Minister welcomed the idea, saying that he would personally take up the matter with the concerned quarters so that the project could go through and the university could be set up in the shortest possible time.
Earlier, the Sikh yatrees delegation expressed their heart-felt gratitude to the prime minister on the provision of best facilities to the Sikh community during their visit to Pakistan as well as ensuring stringent security measures at the gurdawaras.
The Sikh yatrees eulogised the services of the Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Syed Asif Hashmi rendered for the cause of Sikh community and the up-keep of the gurdawars in the country.
The delegation said that the initiatives, for the betterment of the gurdawaras in Pakistan, introduced by ETPB Chairman Syed Asif Hashmi match the reforms under the rule of great Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in Punjab, adding that the Sikh community was indebted to the services of the ETPB Chairman.
Syed Asif Hashmi, Acting Punjab Governor Rana Muhammad Iqbal and State Minister for Inter-Faith Harmony Akram Masih Gill were also present during the meeting.