Gilani pushes for speeding up establishment of Guru Nanak Univ

Updated on: Thursday, November 17, 2011

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani directed authorities to speed up work on the much-delayed project to set up a university named after Guru Nanak in his birthplace of Nankana Sahib.

"I would direct the Evacuee Trust Property Board to make arrangements for the foundation stone of the Baba Guru Nanak University. I would like to perform the foundation laying of the university myself," Gilani said during an interaction with a group of Sikh pilgrims.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) is the body responsible for looking after the affairs of properties and shrines of minority communities across Pakistan.

Work on the varsity has been delayed since 2007 despite offers from Sikhs living in various countries, including India, to provide funds to the Pakistan government for the project.

The proposed institution is expected to have a campus of 2,500 acres at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan's Punjab province and the ETPB was tasked to acquire land and funding for the varsity.

According to Syed Asif Hashmi, the chairman of ETPB the varsity will be established at a cost of Rs 5 billion.

During his meeting with the Sikh pilgrims, Gilani announced a grant of Rs 10 million for the Dayal Singh Research and Cultural Forum, which is engaged in research on Punjabi culture and history.

"This institution is making efforts day in and day out to promote an atmosphere of peace and love in the region... Such cultural programmes and seminars can be instrumental in bringing the peoples of (India and Pakistan) closer to one another," he said.

Gilani pushes for speeding up establishment of Guru Nanak Univ

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