PATIALA(India),Jan15: A New-York based non-resident Indian, Arshad Rehman, is doing his bit to make Punjabi flourish by helping set up university for the purpose. However, his effort is different in a major way. He has agreed to donate 100 acres to
Pak-India Friendship Society (PIFS), so the varsity can be established in Nankana Sahib, which falls in the neighbouring country. PIFS president Aarif Chaudhary, who was in Patiala on Saturday to attend the fourth Shaheed Nanak Singh Memorial Lecture in Punjabi University, Patiala, confirmed that the project had been in the works and might get under way in a few months if they got clearances from departments concerned. "There are many universities in
Pakistan, which teach Punjabi. But I believe if we open a special Punjabi university in Nankana Sahib, land of Sikh
Guru Nanak Dev, the language would flourish with blessings of the guru,'' said Chaudhary. He said like him there were many others who believed Punjabi was an inseparable part of their lives and wanted to develop this language in Pakistan. "There are lakhs across the globe, who want to study Punjabi. But lack of infrastructure is hampering the growth of our mother tongue," said another NRI, Rami Ranger. Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh, MPs from United Kingdom,
Tony Baldry, Paul Uppal, Richard Harrington and governor of Arunanchal Pradesh Gen (retd) J J Singh, also addressed the gathering.
