Daily Times

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Arshad Farid Khan chaired meeting of the newly elected members of Pakistan Sikh Guru Dawa Parbandhak Committee in Islamabad that unanimously elected Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora as the Pradhan of the committee.

The meeting also elected Satwant Kaur – who became a member woman of the Parbandhak Committee on Sikh Gurudwara for the first time – was elected as the general secretary. Ramesh Singh Arora told media that he would fulfill his responsibility as a Pradhan in an efficient manner and steps will be taken for the betterment of the Sikh nation. He vowed to work for facilitation of the incoming sikhs from all over the world.

Arora has also credited for first Sikh lawmaker of the Punjab Assembly – Pakistan’s largest assembly – and launching multiple projects for the facilitation of incoming Sikh yatrees from all over the world, including at Kartarpur Corridor. General Secretary Satwant Kaur said that the Sikh community in Pakistan representation will do its service for welfare. Federal cabinet had approved names of the PSGPC members on February 20. The committee consisted of Ramesh Singh Arora, Gian Singh Chawla, Sawant Kaur, Dr. Mampal Singh, Sawant Singh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Harmeet Singh, Sahib Singh. Tara Singh from Sindh, Mahesh Singh and Bhagat Singh from Baluchistan.

A 13-member committee including three government members was formed. Additional Secretary Shrines Rana Shahid Saleem also participated in the meeting held in Islamabad. Ramesh Singh Arora appointed as ambassador-at-large for Kartarpur Corridor Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora as the ambassador-at-large for the Kartarpur Corridor.

According to a notification issued on Wednesday, Arora will work on the position in an honorary capacity. He is also the central general secretary for the PML-N’s Minorities Wing. Arora said Kartarpur Corridor is a pathway of peace whose state-of-the-art infrastructure provides all kinds of facilities to the yatrees visiting from all over the world.

He said being the ambassador-at-large, he would promote the soft image of the Kartarpur Corridor, which is a symbol of interfaith harmony. “The Pakistani nation is a peace loving nation, and we invite Sikhs and Hindus from all over the world, including India, to come and visit Kartarpur,” he stressed. Arora said the number of local visitors to the visa-free corridor, located in the Shakargarh tehsil of Narowal district, has increased in a bid to meet and greet the Sikhs and Hindus visiting from India. Commenting on the criticism that Kartarpur has failed to attract much traffic, the PML-N leader said that it was the responsibility of the Indian authorities to allow more yatrees to cross over to Kartarpur Corridor. The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib on the Pakistani side.

“Pakistan is a safe country, and we have proved in the past that Sikh and other minorities are enjoying religious rights with freedom in Pakistan. We’re also looking forward to more and more visitors to the peace corridor. Pakistan has always promoted religious tourism,” Arora said.