‘Pakistan wants better ties with neighbours’

LAHORE

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiq-ul-Farooq Wednesday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N government would continue serving minorities of the country, including Hindu and Sikhs.

Addressing an international seminar “Baisakhi esakhi Da Tehwar, Khalsa Da Shinghar” the ETPB chairman said besides initiating many other projects soon, the premier would lay foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak International University in Nankana Sahib. The seminar was organised by Dyal Singh Research and Cultural Forum at Aiwan-e-Iqbal which was attended by a large number of Sikh yatrees who are in Pakistan for Baisakhi Festival. 

Punjab Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana was the chief guest on the occasion.

The ETPB chairman said, "I'm tasked by the PM to serve our Hindu and Sikh guests. I will leave no stone unturned to promote, preserve and protect religious sights and places of Hindu and Sikhs.” He said his government was working on the agenda of peace, prosperity and development. He said Sikhs and Muslims have centuries-old friendship which was fostering with every passing day.

The Punjab governor said Pakistan would continue facilitating and serving the yatrees as it was binding on them to work equally for their minorities. He said Pakistan was a peace-loving country and wanted to have better and peaceful relations with its neighbours, including India, on the basis of equality, non-interference, etc. 

“We want to address all the outstanding issues with our neighbours through dialogue”, he underlined, adding that Sikh and Hindus would be provided with every facility they needed whenever they visited Pakistan. 

Sikh-Muslim World Federation Chairman Sardar Manmohan Singh Khalsa said Sikhs of India should continue their struggle for an independent state by opposing atrocities being committed by Modi-led BJP government against them particularly in Indian Punjab. He said a Khalsa (Sikh) could not be a slave as, “Khalsa either would be a Baghee (rebel) or a Badshah (king). 

He said said Indian government in 1984 destroyed 38 Gurdwaras of Sikhs whereas Pakistan was not only renovating and preserving all their Gurdwaras but opening the closed ones. He said Sikhs were being turned as Red-Indians in India which wouldn’t be acceptable at any cost. 

"Slogans of independence are on the rise in India. We need coordinated efforts to achieve our goal," Sardar maintained. 

He said, "We don’t want fight with common Hindus as they are our brothers and sisters but our fight is against the Hindu rulers."

The Sikh-Muslim World Federation chairman said that PM Nawaz Sharif always supported friendly ties with his neighbours, whereas his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi was continuing hostility towards Pakistan.  MPA Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, party leader of Sikh delegation Sardar Narender Jeet Singh and Pakistan Sikh Gurduwara Perbhandaq Committee President Sardar Tara Singh also addressed.