It is the pilgrimage to his ancestral village, Pak Punjab CM Mian Shahbaz Sharif, is going to relish for his whole life time as it has fulfilled lifelong wish to it’s kiss the sacred soil.As the choppers carrying the family of Pak Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif along with Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal landed at makeshift helipad at the outskirts of village, Mr. Sharif alighting from the helicopter took a deep breath to inhale air of his village and his moist eyes were reflecting his longing for his ancestral land. He was welcomed by Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue and Public Relations Minister who has been instrumental in organizing the visit of Pak Punjab CM Mian Shahbaz Sharif since last few months and had been working day and night to organize befitting reception for him. Mr. Sharif touched the soil of the village and he seemed to be recalling the bed time stories of his father and grandfather regarding the topography of village and trying to match description of village with the stories told to him.
Thanking Mr. Badal and Mr. Majithia for taking care of his village and nurturing it as their own village, Mr. Sharif was driven to his house that was donated by his family for the construction of Gurdwara Kalgidhar and became emotional to have a feel of its walls. The friends of his father Gian Singh and Massa Singh were emotionally choked to see the son of their old friend Muhammad Sharif now ruling the neighbouring Punjab. They hugged and kissed on the forehead of Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and blessed his wife, his son Suleman Sharif, daughter-in-law, daughter Ayesha Haroon and son-in-law Haroon Yousaf Aziz.He requested to send a delegation of his ancestral village including Gian Singh and Massa Singh to Pakistan and promised that he would ensure their visa and their hospitality. He said that Gurbachan Singh and Major Singh son of his father’s friend Arjan Singh had already visited him last year.
Emotionally choked Shahbaz Sharif, when rose to speak in the reception function there was huge applause from over 1000 villagers who were waiting for more than five hours patiently to have a glimpse of son of the village. He immediately developed connect with his villagers by paying respect to elders and speaking in chaste Punjabi language Sat Sri Akal. Speaking in Punjabi he recalled his first visit along with his father and five uncles when they sat on the cots of Panchayat and relished hot milk served by the villagers. He said that his father was so emotionally connected with this village because it was the only Muslim family of this Sikh dominated village. He said that it was all destiny that we all migrated first to Amritsar and our education was organised by villagers in the Khalsa college, Amritsar. Recalling their struggle from the family of humble farmers, he said that his uncles worked as daily wagers at the factory of one hindu and later started their own iron casting factory. He said that when this factory was taken over by Bhutto they started their journey from scratch and with the grace of God he was now Wazir-e-Azam of Pak Punjab and his brother his brother was Wazir-e-Azam of Pakistan and it was their 3rd term.
Thanking profusely for the hospitality of S. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue Minister, Shahbaz Sharif said that he was so much floored by unimaginable hospitality, affection and care that he was worried about matching the same during the forthcoming visit of Mr. Badal to Pakistan. He said that he was happy that Mr. Badal has accepted his invitation and said that both countries forgetting their past history should launch a joint initiative against poverty and unemployment and become leading power of Asia. He said that he has brought sweets, 1 quintal ladoos and fruits for his fellow villagers.
Developing a direct rapport with the villagers, Mr. Sharif said that it was destiny that my father migrated before partition and I was born in Pakistan. He said that his family had not migrated to Pakistan he would have taken birth in Jati Umra and by that equation he was son of this village.
Welcoming Shahbaz Sharif to his own village, Mr. Badal said that it was such an emotional moment of the history when the time freezes. He said that he can understand the emotional gestures of Sharif family and said that he would nurture this village as his own village. Opening a gift box for the village, Mr. Badal said that he had already sanctioned projects worth Rs.3.5 cores. He also accepted the demand of villagers for a high school and said that given land he would get the school constructed as a world class school and announced that this school would be named after Muhammad Sharif father of Shahbaz Sharif and desired that when completed this school should be inaugurated by the family member of Shahbaz Sharif. He also said that one of their family members must visit this village every year to maintain their emotional connect with their ancestral soil.
In a vote of thanks Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal assured that Punjab government would nurture this village and complete all the projects announced today in a time bound manner. He also announced a world class gymnasium for the village.The family of Major Singh, friend of Muhammad Sharif honoured Shahbaz Sharif with the gold pendant (Kaintha). The villagers also presented Shawls and Gold rings to all the family members of Shahbaz Sharif. Mr. Sharif along with his family paid obeisance at Gurdwara Kalgidhar and sat through the Kirtan. Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister and Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister explained him regarding the topography of the village and told him that this area was the business hub of old joint Punjab.Later Mr. Sharif inaugurated Rs. 3.52 crore projects including two link roads connecting village Jati Umra to Takhtuchak and Kaziwal and also unveiled a foundation stone of overall development of villages of projects.Later Mr. Shahbaz Sharif along with his family members went to the grave of his great grandfather Mian Mohammad Baksh and offered a holly sheet on his grave.Mian Shahbaz Sharif was accompanied by Rana Mashood Khan, Minister Education, Pak Punjab, Mr. Salman Bashir, Pak High Commissioner, Begum Tarunum Bashir, Syed Maratib Ali, Vice Chairman Punjab Board of Investment & Trade, Mr. Abdullah Khan Sumbal, Secretary Punjab Government, Mohammad Irfan Elahi, Chairman Planning & Development Board, Mr. Ijaz Munir, Secretary Agriculture department, Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, Faisalabad Agriculture University.