Pakistan’s Punjab province government has allocated 70 acre land for setting up international university named after Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the first Sikh Guru.
The move has come amid the demand from Sikhs living in Pakistan to construct a university named after Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion, at his birthplace.
The funds for the construction of the Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) in Nankana Sahib, about some 80 km from Lahore, will be allocated in the budget of the financial year 2019-20, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said in a statement on Thursday.
The chief minister said this project will be part of the coming development budget in the province. He said the government would also establish police lines, a prison and National Registration Database Authority (Nadra) in Nankana Sahib.
Proposal of the university was first surfaced during the Punjab government of Pervaiz Elahi in 2003. Two years ago in the government of PML-N, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) gave final approval to the project.
Then ETPB chairman Siddiqul Farooq said this varsity would help promote religious tourism in Pakistan and also portray the country’s good image at the international level.
Earlier this year, for the first time a Pakistani university had created the Baba Guru Nanak research chair to promote the message of peace that the Sikh spiritual leader preached.
“The Punjab University Lahore has created the Baba Guru Nanak research chair. This is the first-ever initiative of any university in the country. The students of the varsity will carry out research on the teachings of Baba Guru Nanak,” Punjab University spokesperson Khurram Shahzad had said.
“It was not only the demand of the Sikhs but the academia that feels the need to promote the message of tolerance of Baba Guru Nanak in the society,” Shahzad said.
