“Through this master plan, temples and gurdwaras will be adorned, and development projects will be carried out with a budget of PKR 1 billion,” Rehman stated. “A significant amount of money is being allocated to places of worship for minorities,” he added.
Rehman mentioned that the board has generated over Rs 1 billion in revenue this year. The meeting saw the participation of Hindu and Sikh community members from across the country, along with representatives from both governmental and non-governmental sectors.
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Farid Iqbal, the board secretary, discussed the need to revise the ETPB’s development scheme. He explained that by revising the scheme to boost the department’s income, trust properties are now being made available for development.
“By utilising land that had remained unused for a long time, the department’s revenue will increase significantly,” Iqbal said.
The meeting also concluded that a project director would be appointed to oversee the development and renovation of various temples and gurdwaras, as well as manage operations at the Project Management Unit for the Kartarpur Corridor.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan High Commission said on February 21 that it has issued 154 visas to Indian pilgrims to visit the Shree Katas Raj temples in that country’s Punjab province.
Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, each year thousands of Indian pilgrims visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals.
The High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi said it has issued “154 visas to a group of pilgrims for their visit to the sacred Shree Katas Raj Temples in the Chakwal district, scheduled to take place from February 24 to March 2”.
Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, wished the pilgrims a spiritually rewarding and fulfilling journey.
(With inputs from PTI)
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
