Daily Times

Mahindar Pall Singh became second Sikh Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) in Pakistani Punjab since partition as he took oath on Wednesday.

He wore a traditional Sikh turban made out a green and white coloured cloth, representing Pakistani national flag. The only Sikh MPA in the newly-elected Assembly, Singh got elected on a reserved seat on PTI ticket.

Talking to Daily Times after the session, Singh said he had been associated with the PTI for the last 10 years. His association with the party started with its Insaf Students Federation during his student days, when he was pursuing a Masters in Business Administration in Punjab University. Born in Nankana Sahab, Singh now resides in Multan where he works for a private company.

He vowed to use his Assembly membership to highlight issues faced by minorities, particularly those residing in southern districts of the province. “There are many areas in south Punjab where people refuse to eat or drink in the same utensils (with minority community members). I will try to break these (regressive) traditions since we are all creation of the one God,” he said, adding that the five percent quota reserved for minorities was not being implemented in its true spirit. “I will raise the issue on the floor of the House,” said Singh, who became a member of the PTI’s Punjab Executive Council in 2013.

Singh hailed the passage of the Sikh Marriage Bill by the provincial assembly last year as a milestone in ‘our parliamentary history’. He said India claimed to be the largest democracy in the world but it had yet to pass such a legislation for the Sikh community.

“I will be a representative of 25,000 Sikhs of Pakistan in this august House but I will work tirelessly for other minorities as well,” he said.

Sardar Ramesh Singh Aurora became the first Sikh MPA in the province since partition when he took oath in the previous assembly in 2013. He missed out on the chance to get elected to the 17th Assembly since his party, PML-N, got four minority seats and his name was fifth on the party’s list.

Published in Daily Times, August 16^th 2018.