By Faisal Shahzad
ISLAMABAD: Ramesh Singh Arora became the first Sikh to take oath as Minister in the provincial cabinet of Punjab. He was elected as member of the provincial assembly for third time.
Who is Ramesh Singh Arora?
He hails from the Narowal district of Punjab, has been given the minorities portfolio. Arora was also the first-ever Sikh MPA of Punjab, taking oath as law maker in 2013.
According to the Punjab Assembly website, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora was born on October 11, 1974 at Nankana Sahib, Punjab. The newly appointed Minister graduated from University of the Punjab, Lahore. It added that Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora is a leading Entrepreneur and prominent Sikh leader hails from Kartarpur, Narowal.
In his first term during 2013-18, Arora was the first lawmaker in Punjab Assembly who came from Sikh Community following Independence of Pakistan in 1947. He worked as Chairman, Standing Committee on Commerce and Investment during 2014-17. He also served as Chairman, Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minorities Affairs during 2017-18.
He also worked as a Human Rights Activist and played a key role to protect the rights of Sikh Community in Pakistan. According to the website of the Punjab Assembly, he also played a key role in the passage of “The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018”.
Following this Act, Pakistan has become the first nation, where Sikh Marriages Registration Act is implemented. He was also awarded National Human Rights Award in 2016 by the President of Pakistan.
