MULTAN City News

PML-N govt committed to

protect worship places of minorities: Siddiqul Farooq

Says Rs 50m allocated for setting up of Guru Nanak Int’l University, Ghandhara Int’l University Taxila; Work on Multan-Muzaffargarh Road to begin after Eid

From Nadeem Shah

MULTAN: The federal government has planned to set up Guru Nanak International University at Nankana Sahib and Ghandhara International University at Taxila to protect heritage and promote soft image of Pakistan in the world.

In this connection, a high level supervisory committee has been constituted to monitor execution work and the foundation stone of both the universities would be laid down next November. Talking to The News on Saturday, PML-N senior leader and Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Siddiqul Farooq said that Pakistan was a liberal and moderate country. He said that the ETPB had designed both projects of the universities on the directions of Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif to portray that Pakistan was a minority-friendly country. The prime objective behind the initiative was to promote Pakistan as a liberal, enlightened and minorities-caring state, he informed. The government had allocated Rs 50 million as initial budget for execution of work on both the universities while the Sikh community around the world had offered financially assistance to set up the Guru Nanak International University. The Guru Nanak and Budhas’ Chairs would be established at both the universities for research and study purpose, he added. He said that the followers of Budh religion had also showed interest on establishing the Ghandhara International University. At least 2000-Kanal piece of land had been allocated to each university, he continued. Siddiqul Al Farooq said that the PML-N government was very much committed to protect sacred and worship places of minorities. He said that the Kutas Raj Temple was one of the sacred places of Hindus and the government had spent Rs 50.8 million on establishing 36 rooms, residential complex and dinning hall at the complex. He said that the salary of priests had been increased from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 18,000. Siddique Farooq said that a high level committee comprising vice-chancellors of Punjab University, BZU, Sargodha University, Allama Iqbal Open University, Comset University, HEC Director General, Sardar Tara Singh as representative, a Parsi MNA, education expert Ayesha Hamid, Punjab Secretary Education Nasreen Mehdi, had been made while he would be the head of the committee. The high level committee would look after the development work on both the projects and the HEC had appointed one official as the project director to execute and run the projects of both the universities, he told. He said that the ETPB education schools in Lahore had exempted minority children from school and tuition fee. The Gormukhi and Hindi language classes had been launched at the ETPB schools, he added. Siddiqul Farooq said that his mission for the next two years was to place Evacuee Trust Property Board in the list of top five prosperous organisations in Pakistan by developing a talent pool, inculcating a sense of perseverance, courage and fortitude. He said that he had worked day and night and toured all over Pakistan since he assumed office and brought about reforms for streamlining the administration in the service of public, especially for Hindus and Sikhs and improving financial condition of this department. Apart from other effective measures, the significance of computerisation and developing a website for the department could not be ruled out, he maintained. He said that as a result of this initiative, he was confident that the progress of the ETPB would be reflected and necessary feedback would reach directly to his department from worldwide.

MUZAFFARGARH: The work on the Multan-Muzaffargarh Road would be started after the Eid.

DCO Hafiz Shaukat Ali would give undertaking within a week to a private owner that we would provide wages to our department employees after that the department would take back the case from the High Court, said ETPB Chairman Siddiqul Farooq during his visit to the DCO Office here. He said that Sheikh Rasheed was a single driver of Awami Muslim League. He accused Sheikh Rasheed of occupying the ETPB land and said that Lal Haveli would be vacated with the help of law. To a question, he said that action against MQM chief Altaf Hussain should be taken for delivering anti-Pakistan speech according to the law.