Govt to establish Sufi university in Lahore

Minister warns against encroachment of Auqaf Department’s land

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to establish a Sufi university and constitute Sufi Research Council in the provincial capital to promote the teachings and education of the saints.

Punjab Minister for Auqaf Sahibzada Saeedul Hassan Shah announced this while talking to the media persons on Wednesday.

He said with an objective to promote the teachings and education of Sufism, this university would play a vital role in spreading the message of peace and love, while the Sufi Research Council, comprising of PhD scholars would be tasked to translate the teachings of the Sufis into different languages.



The minister said the saints taught the people the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah in their simple language. The government was taking special measures to look after the shrines of the saints to provide better facilities to the visitors come seeking solace.

Hassan said the shrines were a source of promoting love, fraternity, brotherhood and peace. He underlined that the shrine of Baba Fareediddin Ganj Shakar would be made model by the Punjab government while Baba Fareed Tower would also be constructed to facilitate the foreign visitors where excellent accommodation facilities would be provided to them.

“The shrines of saints are a shelter in the real sense for the deserving peoples and Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to establish shelter homes at different places to provide the shelter to the homeless and travellers,” he said. The minister said the illegal occupation on Auqaf Department’s land was a story of the past and now all Auqaf properties were being protected.



Khateebs of Auqaf were being mobilised to promote religious harmony among the masses, besides providing guidance towards the right path. He said there was no room for terrorism and sectarianism in this country.

Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Baitulmall Ajmal Cheema also spoke on the occasion and said the Social Welfare Department would look after the shelter homes for the rehabilitation of the inmates.

Earlier, the minister visited the shrine of Baba Noor Shah Wali and laid a floral wreath on the grave of the saint. He also asked the shrine committee to make the best arrangements for the visitors.

Zonal Auqaf Administrator Ayyaz Mehmud Lashari briefed the minister about the measures being taken for the betterment of shrines under Auqaf Department and presented the performance report of the department. Zonal Khateeb Qari Fateh Muhammad was also present on the occasion.