LAHORE: A meeting to review preparations for the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion, was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora at the Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department.

Addressing the meeting, Minister Arora said thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world, including India, are expected to visit Pakistan to participate in the celebrations. He reaffirmed that both the federal and provincial governments are fully committed to providing the best possible facilities and hospitality to the visiting devotees.

The minister directed all line departments to ensure comprehensive arrangements for health, sanitation, security, and uninterrupted power supply in and around the Gurdwaras with standby generators available for backup. He also instructed the health department to deploy medical teams for pilgrims’ facilitation and to ensure the presence of Rescue 1122 ambulances, walk-through gates, and security scanners for their safety.

Arora further directed deputy commissioners to ensure that “Suthra Punjab” cleanliness teams remain fully active around the Gurdwaras throughout the celebrations. The meeting participants extended felicitations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his continued success on the foreign policy front and offered special prayers for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the security of Pakistan.

The session was attended by representatives from various federal and provincial departments including Deputy Commissioner Nankana Sahib Muhammad Tasleem Akhtar, while officials from the district administrations of Sheikhupura, Narowal, and Attock, along with representatives of GEPCO and IESCO, joined via video link.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025