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LAHORE, Oct 27 (APP):Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has said that, under the directives of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, restoration work on the 900-year-old Shiwala Teja Singh Temple in Sialkot will soon commence.
He said a team from the Walled City of Lahore Authority would soon visit the temple site to initiate the restoration process at the earliest.
He expressed these views while distributing Diwali grant cheques and gifts among members of the Hindu community at the Shiwala Teja Singh Temple, said a handout issued here.
On the occasion, MPA Shakila Javed, Deputy Secretary Minorities Affairs and Human Rights Umar Hayat, Assistant Commissioner Sialkot Rana Safdar Shabbir, DSP Tariq Thadhi, Pandit Jashpal, Hakeem Rattan Lal, Sardar Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, Zeeshan Javed, Sain Das, Ravi Kumar, and a large number of Hindu community members and representatives of other minorities were present. The Hindu community also performed their religious rituals during the ceremony.
Addressing the event, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora said that alongside the Shiwala Teja Singh Temple, the Khu of Puran Bhagat, another centuries-old sacred site for Hindu and Sikh communities, was also being restored. He said the Punjab government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, was taking comprehensive measures for the welfare and development of minority communities, ensuring their full participation in social and religious activities.
He added that the Chief Minister, cabinet members, and senior officials regularly participate in the festivals of minorities to promote religious harmony and inclusivity. The minister emphasized that the Punjab government was committed to providing equal opportunities for all citizens, enabling every community to contribute to the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora said that, as per the Constitution of Pakistan, all minorities are equal citizens. He recalled Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s historic speech of August 11, 1947, in which he declared that all Pakistanis were free to worship and equal in the eyes of the state.
He also criticized India’s claim of being a secular country, noting that India had kept the Kartarpur Corridor closed for the past five months, while Pakistan continues to facilitate Sikh pilgrims’ access to their holy sites. He appreciated Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif for his special role in the restoration of Baba Di Beri, a revered Sikh religious site in Sialkot, and said the Sikh community was deeply grateful for his contribution.