ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said that Pakistan wanted cordial ties with all the countries and faiths and always desired peace in the region.
Addressing a ceremony held here to celebrate Baisakhi, a Sikh religious and cultural festival, organised by the Pakistan Television (PTV), he said having sacrificed a lot during the war against terrorism, Pakistan had learnt the value of peace.
The event was attended by a huge number of Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan, India and other countries, besides diplomats and senior officers from the Evacuee Trust Property Board.
He said Pakistan was now a peaceful and secure country and would continue its efforts for regional peace.
He referred to Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s address at the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, where he had said that everyone in Pakistan would be free to go to the worship place of his faith.
The president said Islamophobia had created a divide in the world. The government was resolved to protect the worship places of all faiths, he added.
Welcoming Sikhs from across the world to Pakistan, he said they were a peaceful community and urged them to also visit the picturesque northern areas of Pakistan.
President Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Sardar Tara Sing said by building Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan had fulfilled the long-standing desire of the Sikh community.
He requested the government of Pakistan to also link Kartarpur Corridor to Nankana Sahib as another goodwill measure for the community. He said the committee had been actively working to uplift the Gurdwaras in Pakistan and hoped that the construction of Kartarpur Corridor would be completed by November this year.
