LAHORE: The Religious Tourism and Heritage Committee headed by Governor Chaudhry Sarwar announced holding of ‘International Sikh Convention’ in Lahore on Aug 31.

Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah has been made a permanent member of the committee. This was announced in a meeting of the committee that was chaired by Mr Sarwar at Governor House on Monday.

The governor is scheduled to visit Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib to finalise arrangements for the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. The meeting was briefed about the arrangements made so far for the event as well as the Kartarpur Corridor.

The committee decided to launch a full-fledged awareness campaign for making the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak memorable and ensuring maximum participation of the Sikh community, including those coming from India. The governor will coordinate with the interior minister for ensuring issuance of maximum visas for Sikh pilgrims coming to celebrate the anniversary.

The meeting also decided that the International Sikh Convention would be held at Governor House in which Sikh pilgrims from the US, the UK, Canada and India would participate.

Speaking at the meeting, Governor Sarwar said he was hopeful that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led federal government and the Punjab government would be able to generate at least $4 billion from tourism.

He said steps would be taken to ensure visa facilitation and other matters of Sikh pilgrims. He expressed pleasure over the headway in talks over Kartarpur Corridor and said, “We want that India also complete its work speedily.”

Federal Minister for Education and Culture Shafqat Mehmood, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Saeedul Hassan Shah, Punjab Tourism Minister Raja Yasir Humayun, the Lahore commissioner and other officers from Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib participated in the meeting.

PM SPOKESMAN: The prime minister’s spokesperson for trade and investment in the UK and Europe, Sahibzada Jehangir, said the country is facing an economic crisis due to corrupt governments in the past.

He, however, hoped that the crisis was over soon as the government was working whole-heartedly to resolve the economic crunch. He added that the government would ensure maximum facilities for traders and businessmen.

He expressed these views in a meeting at the Governor House with Punjab Information Minister Sumsam Ali Bukhari, Mian Mehmmodur Rashid, Dr Akhtar Malik, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Vice President Khawaja Shahzad Nasir, LCCI Secretary Shahid Khalil, executive member Javed Iqbal, Mian Zahid Javed, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and other industrialists and traders.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2019