ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been appointed Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora as ambassador in general for Kartarpur corridor as part of efforts to attract Sikh pilgrims from around the world, a government notice said on Wednesday.
The lead Sikh leader will serve in the position in an honorary capacity, the notice said.
Arora originated from Kartarpur Narowal is also the central general secretary of the minority wing of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). His family is associated with the protection and welfare of the Sikh holy sites in Kartarpur.
His appointment comes as Kartarpur failed to attract the number of visitors Pakistani authorities expected after opening the critical holy site to Sikhs, especially those in India.
The Kartarpur corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak Shrine in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. The 4 km long corridor offers visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.
In November 2019, Prime Minister Khan formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary in a colorful ceremony, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their holiest sites without a visa. religion in Pakistan. .
Arora, 48, was elected as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly for a second consecutive term in 2020, according to his profile on the Punjab Assembly website.
In his first term in office in 2013-2018, he was the first parliamentarian in the Punjab Assembly to be from the Sikh community since 1947
Arora served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Trade and Investment in 2014-2017; and as Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minorities in 2017-2018.
He played a prominent role in enacting “The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018” making Pakistan the first country to enforce Sikh Marriages Registration Act, according to his profile.
He was also a member of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in the Punjab government; a member of the National Committee on Minorities under the Ministry of National Harmony during 2011-13; and as general secretary of the Pakistani Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Commission in 2009-2013.
The lead Sikh leader will serve in the position in an honorary capacity, the notice said.
Arora originated from Kartarpur Narowal is also the central general secretary of the minority wing of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). His family is associated with the protection and welfare of the Sikh holy sites in Kartarpur.
His appointment comes as Kartarpur failed to attract the number of visitors Pakistani authorities expected after opening the critical holy site to Sikhs, especially those in India.
The Kartarpur corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak Shrine in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. The 4 km long corridor offers visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.
In November 2019, Prime Minister Khan formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary in a colorful ceremony, paving the way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their holiest sites without a visa. religion in Pakistan. .
Arora, 48, was elected as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly for a second consecutive term in 2020, according to his profile on the Punjab Assembly website.
In his first term in office in 2013-2018, he was the first parliamentarian in the Punjab Assembly to be from the Sikh community since 1947
Arora served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Trade and Investment in 2014-2017; and as Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minorities in 2017-2018.
He played a prominent role in enacting “The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018” making Pakistan the first country to enforce Sikh Marriages Registration Act, according to his profile.
He was also a member of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in the Punjab government; a member of the National Committee on Minorities under the Ministry of National Harmony during 2011-13; and as general secretary of the Pakistani Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Commission in 2009-2013.
