A nine-member delegation from the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Promotion of Religious tourism, headed by its Chairman Syed Ali Imran Shah visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on Tuesday. The committee inspected the arrangements and also reviewed the facilities made available to visitors to the Gurdwara.
Later, speaking to the media, the president said the purpose of the visit was to see a state-of-the-art facility for the Sikh community, adding that the committee had also identified areas that needed updating in the gurdwaras. He ordered the Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to take necessary precautions to address the issues facing Sikh community places of worship in the country. He said generators and solar panels should be installed in Gurdwaras to ensure uninterrupted power supply. He said the standing committee made proposals to hire professionals and experts to promote religious tourism and ordered the management to develop a comprehensive plan in this regard.
He said that the Chairman of the SGPC presented proposals to facilitate visits and promote religious tourism in the country, which were accepted and the Standing Committee decided to discuss the recommendations in the National Assembly for approval. He added that the requests of the SGPC would be given due consideration.
In response to a question, he said that the country’s minorities enjoy equal rights and full freedom and play a role in the development of the country. Earlier, upon their arrival, the committee members were welcomed by PGPC Chairman Sardar Ameer Singh and others. The chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) also provided a detailed briefing to the standing committee on the professional functioning of the department and the measures taken to promotion of religious tourism. The committee visited various parts of the Gurdwara and also ate there (langar).
Standing committee members who visited the place included Saira Bano, Shahida Akhtar, Shehnaz Malik, Shagufta Jumani, Kheil Das, Naveed Amir Jiva, Syed Peer Fazal Ali Shah, and Akhtar Ahmad.
