Two such incidents have been seen consecutively in the Punjab province of Pakistan which had never happened before. First of all, Punjab got its first woman Chief Minister in the form of Maryam Nawaz.
Now for the first time in the history of Punjab, a Sikh has been made a minister.
Narowal MLA Ramesh Singh Arora, 48, on Wednesday became the first person from the minority Sikh community to take oath as a minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Ramesh Singh Arora is a three-time Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Narowal. He was sworn in as a minister in the recently elected Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaf Sharif, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The ceremony was held at the Governor House, Lahore. Maryam’s uncle Shehbaz Sharif was recently elected as the Prime Minister of the neighboring country.
Speaking to The Indian Express over phone, Arora said, “This is the first time since partition in 1947 that a Sikh has been included in the cabinet of Punjab province.
I will work for the safety and well-being of not only Sikhs but all minorities including Hindus and Christians living in Pakistan.” Arora was also recently elected as the chief of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (PSGPC).
Let us tell you that in the recently held elections in Pakistan, Arora was re-elected as assembly member from Narowal. They are residents of this place.
This is the same place where Guru Nanak’s last resting place Gurudwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib is located. Last year, they kartarpur corridor Was also appointed as “Ambassador” for.
Arora said that during Partition in 1947, his family had chosen to remain in Pakistan rather than remain in India like the majority of Sikh/Hindu families.
He said, “I was born in Nankana Sahib but later we moved to Narowal. My grandfather had chosen to stay in Pakistan during Partition on the insistence of his dear friend. “Just for the sake of friendship, he decided to stay back.” Arora is likely to get the charge of Minority Affairs Department.
A postgraduate in Entrepreneurship and SME Management from Government College University, Lahore, Arora worked for the World Bank’s poverty alleviation program in Pakistan before joining politics.
In 2008, he founded Mojaj Foundation, an organization working for the underprivileged and destitute in Pakistan.
Let us tell you that Maryam, 50, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, took oath last week as the first woman Chief Minister of Pakistan’s most populous and politically important Punjab province.
Maryam is considered the political successor of 74-year-old former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif.