Imran lays stone of Guru Nanak varsity
NANKANA SAHIB : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday laid the foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the first Sikh Guru in the Punjab province of the neighbouring country.
The initiative is part of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the founder of Sikh religion, Pakistani media reported.
Speaking at the ceremony, Khan said laying the foundation stone of the university was an apt tribute on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of the Guru. “Kartarpur is the Medina of the Sikh community and the Nankana Sahib its Meccah,” said the Prime Minister.
The Kartarpur gurdwara, located some 4km from the border with India, is believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century.
Khan will inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor on November 9.
Setting up of the university,
Khan said, was part of his plans to give top priority to education sector.
Members of the Sikh community would also be able to get education at this university, the prime minister said.
RELIGIOUS TOURISM
The university will work to promote religious tourism in the country, besides serving as a community centre for the Sikhs, based in Pakistan and abroad.
Imran added that no matter how bad relations Pakistan has with India, the Sikhs would never be stopped from visiting their holy sites in Pakistan.
The university will be built on 10 acres of land with a cost of Rs6 billion.