Pak PM Imran Khan wishes Hindu community on Diwali
Islamabad, Nov 7: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday extended his good wishes to the Hindu community on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights.
"Wishing all our Hindu citizens a happy Diwali," Khan tweeted.
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser also greeted Hindu parliamentarians and the Hindu community.
"Pakistan is a pluralistic country and enriched with cultural diversity," he said.
Other key members of the Khan government, including Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, also wished the Hindu community a happy Diwali.
"I wish our Hindu brethren a happy #Diwali. May the Festival of Lights usher in joy and prosperity for all of you. May light always have victory over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance," Foreign Minister Qureshi tweeted.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shehbaz Sharif also wished the Hindu community on the occasion, asserting that members of the Hindu community are equal citizens of Pakistan, Dawn reported.
Sharif said the rights of non-Muslims were enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed by Islam, and that members of minority communities have played an important role in the formation, defence, construction and development of Pakistan, the paper reported.
He said that the PML-N would continue to play its role in protecting the rights of non-Muslims.
Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also extended his greetings to Hindu communities across the world and in Pakistan.
Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.
Majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
