JALANDHAR: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has assured the Punjabi diaspora settled abroad that he would take up the issue of setting up Special Courts to expeditiously settle cases of those who had been declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs) after fleeing the state during the dark days of terrorism, with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as well as the Central Government.
He was responding to a request from a group of NRIs here for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev last evening.
The NRIs expressed the concern that many of those who had immigrated abroad were unable to visit Punjab and pay their respects at the Golden temple and other holy places as they had been declared POs on account of their inability to appear before the courts in certain cases.
Amarinder, who promised to hold talks on setting up these courts, further added that he would also discuss with the Government of India on the possibility of setting up Special Courts in a few Indian Missions abroad, such as UK, USA, Canada, Germany and France, where a large percentage of Punjabi population resides.
Referring to his Government’s flagship programme ‘Connect With Your Roots’, he thanked the NRIs for motivating their children to participate in the same. He urged them to encourage more youngsters to visit Punjab and connect with their ancestral legacy.
He also honoured the NRIs with books on the life and philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev, a commemorative coin and a memento.
Speaking on the occasion, President of the Council of Gurdwaras Management Committee UK, Avtar Singh, expressed gratitude to Amarinder for acceding to their long-pending request for getting the blacklist abolished by Centre through his personal efforts.
Jaswant Singh Thekedar, a resident from South Hall, London, also expressed confidence for prompt resolution of these issues.