Govt to hold Sikh conventions in Lahore, Nankana Sahib

CM says every possible facility will be provided to visitors

The Punjab government has decided to hold conventions in connection with the 550th birthday anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Devji, the founder of Sikhism.

The first sitting will be held at the Governor House while the next will be organised at Nankana Sahib, which would be attended by members of the Sikh community from across the world. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar ordered to make the best possible arrangements in this regard, adding that every possible facility would be provided to the visitors.

He maintained that Rs150 million has been spent on repairing and maintaining roads in Nankana Sahib which would facilitate the pilgrims visiting the religious site.

He stated that the foundation stone for Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib was proof of the government’s commitment towards promoting religious tolerance and harmony. The government is providing all sorts of facilities to the Sikhs as well as to other religious minorities, he added.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to devise the latest monitoring system to resolve public complaints as soon as possible. The CM has approved the new system. He stated that the monitoring system will be launched from Lahore and the performance of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Waste and Sanitation Agency (WASA) will be monitored initially. The system will be extended to other cities and departments in phases and data regarding departmental performance and redressal of public complaints will be collected.

The chief minister also directed the urban unit to develop a mobile application and said that new system should be innovative and unique. “We intend to move towards smart cities where citizens would be provided with each and every facility,” he said.

Speaking to different delegations at his office on Thursday, the chief minister said that the far flung areas were deprived of development due to the incorrect policies of the former rulers.

“Past rulers ignored the fundamental problems of the people who yearned for their basic rights,” he said. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government is rectifying past mistakes.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2019.