Sardar Soran Singh — a determined and committed soul

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PESHAWAR: The last rites of Sardar Soran Singh, special assistant to the chief minister on minorities’ affairs, were offered at the Shamshan Ghat (crematorium) which the slain leader had inaugurated some time back. 

His death not only deprived his community of a capable representative but also the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of an active member of the assembly.

Soran Singh, who was shot dead near his home in Buner district on Friday, was elected to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on a reserved seat on the PTI ticket. Before joining Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  in 2011, he was associated with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for a long time and also served as member of Tehsil Council.

Soran Singh also remained member of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and Evacuee Trust Property Board.A politician and medical technician by profession, Soran Singh also hosted a Pashto programme, Za Hum Pakistani Yam, for three and a half years for a private TV channel.

He used to play active role in the assembly, advocating his party stance whenever the opposition raised objection to the policies of the government.He also worked for the welfare of minority groups throughout the province. His efforts led to the restoration and functioning of an ancient Sikh temple — Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh Sahib — at Jogiwara in Peshawar.

Attired in traditional Sikh turban and wearing rings with multiple-colour precious stones, Soran Singh would always be in a jolly mood while coming to the assembly session. He was among the most vocal members of the treasury benches, replying to the objections of the opposition and defending the government’s policies.

Not only the Sikh, but the Hindu and other minority communities in Buner extended support to Soran Singh when he joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and came to the limelight after being elected as Member Provincial Assembly. Until then he was recognized as an able medical technician. 

Citing reason of leaving his old party, (JI) he once said:  “No doubt JI is an organized and disciplined party but people of Sikh and Hindu communities thought I am inviting them to embrace Islam when I used to ask them for a vote.”

His patriotism to the country could be gauged from his active participation in the Independence Day celebrations and other such programmes. One of his pictures riding a horse and holding the national flag, uploaded on the social media, was much clicked and received scores of comments after his murder.

Another picture showed that he had allocated a place for the verses of the Holy Quran and pieces of the sacred holy book showed his respect for other religions.He actively participated in the functions of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  and arranged processions of the workers on special occasions.

The minorities’ communities protesting the murder of Soran Singh are criticizing the ruling party for failure to provide protection to the minorities. They said the security provided to the special assistant to the chief minister was not satisfactory.They asked the government to bring the perpetrators of his murder to justice.