SIALKOT, Feb 25 (APP):Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora visited a dilapidated Gurdwara Fateh Bhindar in Daska, along with Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Heritage, and Qamar-uz-Zaman, Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, on Wednesday.
They were accompanied by Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq, Assistant Commissioner Sadia Jaffer, and Deputy Administrator Sialkot Sheikh Aamir Raheem.
Ramesh Arora said Guru Nanak Dev Ji had stayed at that sacred site upon his return from Babe Di Beri in Sialkot. He siad that the gurdwara had remained closed for nearly 80 years, resulting in severe neglect and lack of attention.
The minister announced that under a special programme of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, 50 gurdwaras would be restored over the next three years. In the first phase, restoration work on 17 to 18 gurdwaras was underway and was expected to be completed by May. He stressed that the government was focusing on promoting religious tourism.
He stated that Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Narowal were historically significant districts where Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled for nearly 40 years. He remarked that the bond between Sikhs and Muslims, and between Sikhs and Pakistan, is inseparable, saying that Sikh history would be incomplete without Pakistan.
The provincial minister concluded by stating that Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan feel reassured knowing their sacred sites were safe and protected. He reaffirmed that Pakistan is a country where minorities live together in peace, harmony, and mutual respect.