'Pakistan to welcome Indian Punjab CM'

Arora hails Bhagwant Mann's desire for sojourn

LAHORE:

Provincial Minorities Affairs Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora on Tuesday welcomed the reported desire of Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to visit Pakistan, saying the country would warmly receive him if he was allowed to travel.

Addressing the Punjab Assembly, Sardar Arora said Sikhs around the world wanted to visit Pakistan and regarded it as their first homeland.

He said Pakistan would welcome the Indian chief minister with open arms, inviting him and the Indian Punjab Assembly speaker to visit the country.

The Punjab minorities minister said although an arrangement between Pakistan and India had provided for 5,000 Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur, the Indian government had restricted the number to 500.

He urged the Indian government to allow the Sikh community to benefit from the corridor.

He also expressed solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, assuring them that Pakistan stood with them in their struggle for the right to self-determination.

The remarks came as the assembly unanimously adopted a resolution marking the Kashmir Black Day. The house expressed concern over reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The resolution moved by Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman stated that October 27 was a black day for the Kashmiri people as India had occupied Kashmir on the day.

It said the Pakistani people remained deeply connected with the Kashmiri struggle and valued the sacrifices made by the people of the occupied territory.

The resolution called upon the international community to take notice of reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances and stressed that the voice of any nation could not be suppressed through force and coercion.

It called for a just settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The finance minister said separately that the provincial cabinet had approved the establishment of the Punjab Life Insurance Company in 2024 under the finance department and the initiative would provide facilities to government employees at low premiums.

Responding to treasury benches' member Amjad Ali Javed during the question hour, he said the process of preparing the memorandum and articles of association required for the company's registration would be initiated.

He said the proposed company would immediately have access to around a million clients from government institutions and expressed confidence that it would become a successful venture, bringing billions of rupees into the business.

Under the proposed framework, the company would undertake life insurance-related businesses in accordance with the Insurance Ordinance, 2000, including children's endowment plans, health and other services.