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Thursday March 28, 2024

MPA protests against ignoring Sikhs in census

By Faizan Bangash
March 21, 2017

LAHORE

Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, a ruling party Sikh MPA, on Monday lodged serious protest against bureaucracy for ignoring Sikh community in the census form.

The MPA, who hails from District Narowal, has also submitted a resolution in Punjab Assembly Secretariat saying that in the ongoing census form, there existed no box to mention Sikhism as religion and demanded the federal government as well as Election Commission of Pakistan to immediately address this complaint.

Later, talking to media outside Punjab Assembly, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora came hard on bureaucracy for ignoring Sikh community in the census form, despite the fact that they had always supported Pakistan at every forum, in and outside the country. According to Ramesh Singh Arora, number of Sikh population in Pakistan stands around 25,000 and it had been at the forefront in all sectors and making equal contribution to the country progress as sincere and committed citizens of Pakistan.

He said the bureaucracy had ignored us in the same way as India had been treating the Sikhs in India, as according to him, the Indian government considers Hindu and Sikhs as same community due to which their identity wasn’t properly recognised.

He said that like Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Ahmedis, and scheduled caste Hindus, the box for Sikh community should also have been included in the census form. “It may be a conspiracy against our own government or a negligence on the part of bureaucracy, it has hurt the sentiments of Sikh community and immediate measures are needed to address this complaint” said Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora. Opposition MPAs, including PML-Q’s Waqas Moakkel and independently elected Ali Salman Siddique also endorsed the demand by the Sikh MPA.

Ali Salman Siddique, the Opposition MPA elected from Sheikhupura, while talking to journalists said the complaint raised by the Sikh MPA regarding the absence of box pertaining to the Sikh community in the census form was justified.

He said the issue needed to be addressed immediately before it could give rise to any further controversy, adding Sikh community of Pakistan had always shown loyalty to the country like the people of any other religion and ignoring them means ignoring the voice of Pakistan.

Moreover, talking to media outside Punjab Assembly, Opposition leader Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed alleged that a defeated MPA of PML-N in Faisalabad was enjoying full protocol as the ruling party legislator and all development funds were provided to him in the constituency from where PTI’s Khurrram Shehzad won. Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed on the occasion alleged it was an open fraud and forgery on part of the sitting government whose ticket holder was treated as MPA.

prorogued: Punjab Assembly session was prorogued on Monday without the completion of agenda as it failed to meet quorum.

The session, which started with a delay of nearly one hour held the question hour session related to Archeology and Auqaf. However, it continued for only 25 minutes when Saadia Sohail Rana, the Opposition MPA pointed out quorum which the House failed to meet.

Chief whip of PML-N Rana Arshad had to undergo a real test during the 27th PA session on most of the occasions as the non-seriousness of ruling party MPAs, slackness on the part of provincial ministers led to adjournment of session on most of the days.