Punjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora: A ‘man of fate’ and many firsts

Punjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora speaks to Arab News Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan on August 11, 2024. (AN photo)
Short Url
Updated 13 August 2024
Follow

Punjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora: A ‘man of fate’ and many firsts

  • Ruling PML-N party lawmaker is Pakistan’s first Sikh minister, worked for World Bank’s poverty alleviation program before joining politics 
  • 48-year-old says his rise to power in Pakistan’s most influential Punjab province stems from decision by grandfather to stay in Pakistan in 1947

LAHORE: When Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora took oath as the provincial minister for minorities in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province in March this year, he became the first Sikh to ever be appointed a minister in the country’s 77-year history. 

But this was by no means a first for the 48-year-old development sector expert-turned-politician.

From 2013-18, Arora served as the first Sikh parliamentarian in the Punjab Assembly and in 2020 was elected for a second term on a seat reserved for minorities. This year, after Feb. 8 general elections, Arora was re-elected as an MP from Narowal — the home of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak — and began a third term in the Punjab assembly, this time as provincial minister for minorities. In 2008, he founded the Mojaz Foundation, which works to uplift the underprivileged and poor in Pakistan, and was recently also elected as chief of the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).

A self-described “man of fate,” Arora says his rise to the echelons of political power in Pakistan’s most influential province stemmed from one decision his grandfather took in 1947: to stay in Pakistan following the partition of the Indian Subcontinent.

“It was fate that I was born here, that my family stayed, it was fate that we moved to one of the biggest minority-heavy districts of Pakistan, Narowal,” Arora said. 

While Narowal is 99 percent Muslim, according to figures from the deputy commissioner’s office, many Sikhs, Christians and Hindus also live there.

“Before 2013 there was no member [of the Punjab assembly] from the Sikh community,” Arora said. “So, likewise this is the third time I’ve been a Punjab assembly member, and this is the first time in the history that someone from the Sikh faith is now a cabinet minister [in Pakistan].”

“PRIVILEGED MINORITY”

Arora, who worked for the World Bank’s poverty alleviation program before joining politics, has often had to fend off questions about coming from a “privileged minority,” with Sikhs widely believed to be better treated than other groups in Pakistan where the religion has an extensive heritage and history. 

Many Sikhs see Pakistan as the place where their religion began: the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469 in a small village, Nankana Sahib, near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.

“Particularly [talking] about the Sikh community and Sikh heritage in Pakistan, it brings me happiness to say that the bond between a Sikh and Pakistan is the same between flesh and bone,” the minister said. 

“Because the Sikh faith had its origins in, the faith started in [present-day] Pakistan from Nakana Sahib [and] Kartarpur Sahib [in Narowal district] is the founder’s last resting place, so a Sikh coming to Pakistan feels very safe here.”

Arora did not comment on the killings of Sikhs in recent years by suspected militants, particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but said the Sikh community was a “privileged minority” while other groups who were not so well-treated had “rightful reservations.”

“They have valid demands which the government has to resolve, and we are working on resolving them,” Arora added. “Minorities are the crown I wear on my head, and protecting minorities is the precedent our government needs to set.” 

Listing the achievements of the Punjab government in the five months since the new administration was sworn in, the minister said the minority affairs department had seen a 188 percent increase in its budget, with the minority development fund increased from Rs1.5 million to Rs2.5 billion. Grants for religious festivals of minority groups had increased almost 600 percent, Arora said. 

“This means that we are standing with our minorities, we look after them,” he argued. 

“The worship places that had fallen to landgrabbers, for a long time now, whether it was the Christian community, the Hindu community and some gurudwaras [Sikh temples], we had those freed, so we are determined and committed that in Punjab we are going to protect our minorities.”

In June this year, the Punjab government also approved the Sikh Marriage Act, which had been championed by Arora for years.

“Today, the Sikh marriage act [2018] rules are in place, we are trying to implement them, we are trying to enact the Hindu personal laws as well, we are working on Christian personal laws,” he said. 

“Hindu marriage act has been passed in the national assembly, the rules of business are almost in place, we have started working on implementation. My own department has a five-year road map we are working toward.”

On Aug. 11, celebrated in Pakistan since 2009 as National Minorities Day, the Punjab Assembly called a special session to commemorate minorities “for their services to and love for Pakistan.”

Even at that session, Arora pointed out, the problems of minorities were spoken about openly rather than brushed under the rug:

“[We] discussed a way out from those situations, because we are focused on addressing the reservations that minorities have, and the rightful demands they make of the state.”

“UNITED IN OUR RESPONSE”

Arora, the ‘ambassador-at-large’ for the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free passage for Indian Sikh pilgrims to travel to the final resting place of Guru Nanak in Pakistan, said he was working so more people would come from the neighboring country.

“We have declared on-arrival visas for Sikhs, or Christians or other minorities, we want people to come to Pakistan,” he said.

Asked about his message for Pakistanis on the nation’s 78th Independence Day, he warned that there were “external forces” working to destabilize the country, including through terror attacks.

“We have to be unified in our response,” Arora said, wishing Pakistanis on the anniversary of the country’s independence.

“Our narrative [has always been], Pakistan’s narrative has been, peace, love and prosperity. We have to establish that clearly, going forward … I’d like to invite everyone to join us in making this a peace loving, independent and successful Pakistan.”


Saudi Arabia offers 15% investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mining venture

Updated 17 sec ago
Follow

Saudi Arabia offers 15% investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mining venture

  • Reko Diq in Pakistan’s southwest is considered one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold resources
  • State-owned media says Pakistan expects up to $5 billion of Saudi investment in mining, agriculture by June 2025

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has offered a 15 percent investment in the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, according to Pakistani state-owned media on Saturday.
Reko Diq is considered one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold resources, primarily operated by Canada’s Barrick Gold, which holds a 50 percent stake in it.
The remaining stake is owned by three federal state-owned enterprises and the Balochistan provincial government, though Pakistan has also invited Saudi Arabia to invest in the project.
“Saudi Arabia has offered fifteen percent investment in Reko Diq Mining project,” the Radio Pakistan said in one of its reports. “The Kingdom has also offered grants to build road infrastructure around the Reko Diq project.”
“Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has approved the structure of the offer but the final decision has been left to the Cabinet Committee on Intergovernmental Transactions,” it added.
Pakistan set up the SIFC, a civil-military hybrid body, last year in June with the sole purpose of reviving the frail national economy, dented by low foreign exchange reserves, currency depreciation and record inflation.
Barrick Gold’s top official, Mark Bristow, has also acknowledged the Saudi interest in the project, saying his company would not dilute its equity.
However, he added that Barrick Gold would not oppose any decision by the Pakistan government to sell part of its stake to Saudia Arabia.
Radio Pakistan said the government in Islamabad expects up to $5 billion investment in the mining and agriculture sector by June next year.


Pakistan calls US sanctions on firms allegedly aiding missile program ‘politically motivated’

Updated 30 min 44 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan calls US sanctions on firms allegedly aiding missile program ‘politically motivated’

  • US sanctioned a Chinese institute, other companies this week after accusing them of helping Pakistan
  • China says it opposes such unilateral sanctions, vows to protect interests of its citizens and companies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday criticized the recent decision by the United States to impose sanctions on commercial entities accused of aiding Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, calling it “biased and politically motivated.”
The US imposed the sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several companies on Thursday, alleging they had supplied missile-applicable items to Pakistan.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry had collaborated with Pakistan to procure equipment for testing rocket motors for the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel systems, and potentially for larger systems.
He maintained that the US decision reflected its commitment to “act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern, wherever they occur.”
“Pakistan considers this action as biased and politically-motivated,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to media queries related to the development. “Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion [and] involved items not listed under any export control regime and yet were considered sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions.”
The administration in Washington had also targeted three China-based companies with sanctions last year in October on similar grounds.
“It is widely known that some countries, while claiming strict adherence to nonproliferation norms, have conveniently waived licensing requirements for advanced military technologies to their favored states,” Baloch continued.
“Such double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of global nonproliferation regimes, increase military asymmetries, and endanger international peace and security,” she added.
China has already said it will “firmly protect” the rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.
One of its diplomats in Washington said this week his country “opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council.”
With input from Reuters


Pakistan fall 2-1 to India in final pool match at Asian Hockey Champions Trophy

Updated 14 September 2024
Follow

Pakistan fall 2-1 to India in final pool match at Asian Hockey Champions Trophy

  • The Green Shirts had already qualified for the semifinal of the tournament in China before facing India
  • Pakistan were unbeaten until today, winning 5-1 against China to secure second spot on the points table

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national hockey team suffered a 2-1 defeat in the last pool match against India on Saturday at the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2024 at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China.
The two traditional rivals played with determination, with Pakistan securing an early advantage when Ahmad Nadeem netted a field goal, putting India under pressure.
However, the momentum shifted when the rival team responded with two consecutive goals in the first half, securing a lead they maintained until the final whistle.
“What a game,” Hockey India proclaimed on social media platform X. “India vs Pakistan lived up to the hype with non-stop action and intense rivalry!”

 
The Asian Hockey Federation also confirmed the 2-1 score in India’s favor toward the end of the match.
 
The Pakistan team had already secured a spot in the semifinals before facing India.
The Green Shirts remained unbeaten until today’s match, having secured a 5-1 victory against hosts China on Thursday, which moved them to second place on the points table.
“It is a collective team effort, we are learning by each match,” Hannan Shahid, who was named “hero” of Thursday’s match, said after the win.
Shahid said his side conceded too many cards in the start of the tournament, but had overcome it.
“Hero of the team award is a result of my team’s effort, they created chances for me to score and I am happy how we have progressed in the tournament,” he added.
Others who scored goals for Pakistan included Rehman Abdul and Ahmad Nadeem, while Jiesheng Gao scored the only goal for China.


Trump paid no ‘heed’ to Imran Khan’s imprisonment, Pakistani-American aide says

Updated 14 September 2024
Follow

Trump paid no ‘heed’ to Imran Khan’s imprisonment, Pakistani-American aide says

  • Trump aide Sajid Tarar says some Pakistani-Americans conveying through social media that Trump could push for Khan’s release if elected, but there is ‘no truth to it’
  • Khan and his PTI party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s military and now the PTI is aiming to mobilize public for Khan’s release

ISLAMABAD: Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman and close aide to Donald Trump, said on Friday that a few Pakistani-Americans had tried to discuss former prime minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment and local Pakistani politics with the US presidential nominee at a recent fundraiser, but Trump “did not pay any heed to it.”
Khan, who is in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military and now his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is aiming to mobilize the public through rallies for its leader’s release from jail in “politically motivated” cases.
Tarar, who lives in Maryland and met Trump through his lawyer in 2016, is one of 136 members of Trump’s finance team and is believed to be instrumental in raising funds and organizing election campaigns for the former president across the US.
In an interview with Arab News, the Trump aide said some Pakistani-Americans had been conveying through social media that the US presidential nominee could push for Khan’s release if he was elected, but there was “no truth to it.”
“Even if Trump wins, obviously, he won’t be interfering in Pakistan’s judicial system to get Imran Khan released,” Tarar, who moved to the US from Pakistan’s Mandi Bahauddin district to study law some 36 years ago, told Arab News over the phone.
“Some Pakistani-Americans have been pedaling this thing on social media, but there is no truth to it that President Trump would interfere in local Pakistani politics.”
Tarar stressed that Trump had a relationship with the prime minister of Pakistan during his tenure in the office and not with an individual, referring to Khan’s meeting with Trump in the White House in July 2019.
“Representatives of different political parties in Pakistan, including the PTI, have approached me to lobby and meet Trump, but this has not materialized yet,” he added.

This file photo, posted on January 7, 2018, shows Sajid Tarar (right), a Pakistani-American businessman and close aide to former US president Donald Trump, during an event in Washington. (Photo courtesy: Facebook/Sajid Tarar)

Trump is facing Democratic nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election due to be held on November 5, with both candidates struggling to get maximum support of all communities, including Pakistani and Muslim diaspora, in the upcoming elections.
Tarar claimed that a majority of Muslim population in the US supported the Republican nominee in the upcoming presidential election, following the failure of President Joe Biden’s administration to have a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The majority of Muslim voters, including the Pakistani diaspora in the US, has been aligning with Trump after the Biden administration’s failure to manage a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
Muslims in America have been visibly divided between Republican and Democratic camps ahead of the presidential election in November. Historically, majority of American Muslims have voted for the Democrats, but this time they appear to be leaning toward Republican nominee Trump.
The US presidential election campaign is currently at its peak and both candidates are struggling to woo voters, promising different reforms and policies, according to Tarar. Some 17 percent Muslims voted for Trump in the previous election, but this is going to be more than 50 precent in this election.
The Pakistani-American aide is currently in California for Trump’s fundraising and has been mobilizing Muslim communities, including 0.7 million Pakistanis, in the US. He believes Pakistan-US diplomatic and defense relations would improve under the Trump administration, which will bring peace and stability to the region and the world.
“Pakistan being next to China and Afghanistan cannot be ignored at all [by the US] as the Trump administration will be fully focusing on terrorism eradication and stability in the region,” the aide said.


Roadside bomb kills two policemen in Pakistan’s volatile southwest

Updated 14 September 2024
Follow

Roadside bomb kills two policemen in Pakistan’s volatile southwest

  • Pakistan’s largest province of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a decades-long insurgency by Baloch separatists
  • Separatist militants last month hit several civil and military targets in a string of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing more than 50 people

QUETTA: A roadside bomb killed two policemen in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday, police said, amid a surge in militant attacks in the restive region.
An improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a police vehicle in Kuchlak area on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Quetta, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Baloch.
“One policeman was killed and another injured in the latest attack,” SSP Baloch told Arab News, later confirming that the injured policeman had also succumbed to his wounds.
Pakistan’s largest province of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants.
Last month, separatist militants hit several civil and military targets in a string of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing more than 50 people. The attacks prompted Pakistani military to gun down a dozen militants in separate operations in the province.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.