Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi cut a cake, along with the Sikh and religious minority members at a ceremony held at his office on Tuesday, to mark the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. He congratulated the Sikh community and said that Rs3 million had been allocated for celebrating Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday.
Ten thousand rupees per persons would be provided for treatment of differently-abled persons, orphans, widows and sick people of the Sikh community, he explained.
The CM noted that Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday was an occasion to rejoice for the Sikh community.
The CM mentioned that Baba Guru Nanak impressed people with his good morals and character. He asserted that due to conducive atmosphere for societal tolerance, minorities in Pakistan enjoy the rights which could not be even imagined in India.
Parvez Elahi said religious minorities have complete freedom to perform their religious rituals, adding that the Punjab government was following the policy of providing equal opportunities for employment and education to the minority communities. A quota was being given to the minority communities in higher education institutions and jobs, he added.
Under the educational scholarship scheme, 50 per cent of scholarships had been given to Central Punjab, 35 per cent to south Punjab and 15 per cent to North Punjab, he said and added that scholarships were given to minority students securing 50 per cent marks in matriculation examination.
The chief minister said that funds were being spent for development of minority communities’ areas. Alongside this, funds have also been allocated for the festivals of the minority communities, he added.
All these measures were aimed at providing equal opportunities, including education and development, to religious minorities so that they could play their role in national development, concluded the CM.
Provincial Advisor Aamir Saeed Raan, Punjab government’s spokesperson Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, MPAs namely Hanif Pitafi, Rafaqat Gillani, Mahinder Pal Singh, Samuel Yaqub, Yudestar Chauhan, Robinson Aziz Frances, Aruj Raza, Archbishop of Lahore Sebastian Shaw, Karpa Singh, Dr. Mampal Singh, Ravinder Singh, Surjit Singh, Tariq Inayat, Asif Sohail Khokhar, Shahzad and others attended the ceremony, while a minority delegation led by Hoga Singh from the UK also participated.
