marine
Mann
Peshawar Jan 14 (PTI) A new ”shamshan ghat” (cremation ground) for the minority Sikh community in northwest Pakistan was inaugurated by a provincial minister today.
The shamshan ghat was built at a cost of Rs 12 lakh on the banks of the Kabul river at Khaiarabad in Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, a top leader of the Awami National Party, inaugurated the facility.
Legislator Asif Bhatti, a Christian, contributed Rs 7 lakh for the project while the Senior Minister provided Rs 5 lakh.
Several legislators representing minority communities and elders of the Sikh community attended the inauguration ceremony.
The Sikhs expressed their appreciation for the construction of the facility.
They said it would be used by Sikhs spread across northwest Pakistan, including 2,200 families living in Peshawar.
Senior Minister Bilour, in his address, eulogised the services of the minority communities in the development of Pakistan.
"The minorities always supported their country in times of need and at critical junctures," he said.
The provincial government holds the minorities in high esteem and considers the protection of their religious rights and other interests a moral and religious obligation, he said.
Bilour directed officials of the local municipal administration to ensure the proper security and cleanliness of the shamshan ghat.
The shamshan ghat was built at a cost of Rs 12 lakh on the banks of the Kabul river at Khaiarabad in Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, a top leader of the Awami National Party, inaugurated the facility.
Legislator Asif Bhatti, a Christian, contributed Rs 7 lakh for the project while the Senior Minister provided Rs 5 lakh.
Several legislators representing minority communities and elders of the Sikh community attended the inauguration ceremony.
The Sikhs expressed their appreciation for the construction of the facility.
They said it would be used by Sikhs spread across northwest Pakistan, including 2,200 families living in Peshawar.
Senior Minister Bilour, in his address, eulogised the services of the minority communities in the development of Pakistan.
"The minorities always supported their country in times of need and at critical junctures," he said.
The provincial government holds the minorities in high esteem and considers the protection of their religious rights and other interests a moral and religious obligation, he said.
Bilour directed officials of the local municipal administration to ensure the proper security and cleanliness of the shamshan ghat.
