Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz eats food with pilgrims at Langar Hall. — Dawn
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz eats food with pilgrims at Langar Hall. — Dawn

NAROWAL: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited Zero Line Kartarpur Sharif in Kheti Sahib to officially inaugurate ‘Baisakhi’ by harvesting the golden crop of wheat with a golden sickle.

She expressed happiness on the honour of harvesting in Baba Guru Nanak’s field.

Sikh women warmly greeted her with folded hands at Pak Darshan Deodhi. Sikh youths performed traditional Gatka.

The chief minister also visited Sarovar (holy pond), Samadhi (prayer hall), Guru Ghar and had darshan of Sangat. She was briefed about the facilitation centre. She said: “Today we are celebrating Baisakhi festival for the first time at the official level. The doors of Pakistan are open to Sikh men and women from all over the world. Sikh pilgrims come to Pakistan and perform religious rituals at holy places with complete freedom. Sikh pilgrims will be provided complete security, travel and best residential facilities in Pakistan.”

Maryam opens festival by harvesting wheat

The Indian Sikh Jatha leader appreciated the chief minister’s initiatives and arrangements. He thanked her for the love and care, and said, ”We all are proud of daughter of Punjab becoming the chief minister.”

President Delhi Goroband Committee Raminder Singh Bumrah draped Sarupa (shawl) on Maryam. Diljit Singh Sarnan presented Kirpan and other gifts to her. Sarupa (shawl) and gifts were also presented to Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Maryam also visited the Sikh Art Gallery and ate food with the pilgrims at the Langar Hall. She was entertained with boiled rice, curry pakoras, groundnut daal, sweet rice, roti and pickles.

Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, ministers Ramesh Singh Arora, Bilal Akbar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, MNA Anwarul Haq, MPA Wasim Butt, Rana Manan, secretaries of tourism and agriculture departments, the commissioner and other officials were present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2024

Editorial

Trump’s folly
Updated 13 Feb, 2025

Trump’s folly

DONALD Trump has reiterated his horrifying plan to take over Gaza and permanently displace its Palestinian ...
Corruption ranking
13 Feb, 2025

Corruption ranking

IT comes as little surprise. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, unveiled on...
Support from remittances
13 Feb, 2025

Support from remittances

EVEN though workers’ remittances dipped, albeit negligibly, in January on a month-over-month basis, the earnings...
Ill omens
Updated 12 Feb, 2025

Ill omens

One wonders whether institutional leadership realises the long-term ramifications of the ongoing "remaking" of judiciary.
Sunken dreams
12 Feb, 2025

Sunken dreams

ANOTHER tragedy has struck Pakistani migrants seeking a better future. A boat capsizing off the Libyan coast has ...
Hate in India
12 Feb, 2025

Hate in India

HISTORY shows that rulers use hate speech to provoke hate crimes and ‘othering’ among communities. Indian Prime...