NEW YORK—Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, condemned the killing of Sardar Soran Singh and expressed shock. He spoke about the assassination during a political rally and also posted on Twitter, saying it was, “A great loss for all of us.” He expressed his utter grief and called for an investigation.
Dr. Soran Singh was a Pakistani Sikh doctor, TV anchor, politician and Minister of Minorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Before joining Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 2011, he was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan for nine years. He was also member of Tehsil council, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and Evacuee Trust Property Board.
He was gunned down in a targeted attack by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan near his house on Friday, 22 April 2016.
“I am deeply pained by the death of Soran Singh,” said Imran Khan. “I am pained because Soran Singh was a courageous activist of our party, but because at one time, his family wanted to relocate to India, however Soran Singh chose to stay in Pakistan. Today, I want to ask all Pakistanis to promise to me that we will work hard to protect the rights of minorities. We need to set an example for the rest of the world,” he added.
Along with Imran Khan, thousands of Pakistanis carried out a procession in memory of Dr. Soran Singh. The marchers held posters and Pakistani flags as they sought justice for his killing.
Dal Khalsa senior activists Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib, Dr Manjinder Singh and Ranbir Singh said Soran Singh would always be remembered for what he did for his community and Pakistan. Expressing their grief and condolences to the family members of the deceased, they said their colleagues abroad had conveyed their worries and concerns about the well being of Pakistan Sikhs to the Nawaz Sharif government.
“We realize that Pakistan is facing the brunt of terrorism, which has taken a heavy toll on the lives of Muslims over there. However, the government and the security forces have to do much more to instill confidence in the minds of minorities who are being targeted.” Dal Khalsa activist Satnam Singh Paonta said.
Along with leaders in India and Pakistan, Soran Singh was also remembered by the diaspora.
“This is a great loss for all and not just the Sikh community as Dr. Soran Singh was a staunch advocate of civil and religious rights of all minority communities in Pakistan. He fought for the civil and religious rights and liberties of not only the minority Sikh community in Pakistan, but also the Hindus and Christians of Pakistan,” said Herdyal Singh, UNITED SIKHS Pakistan coordinator.
“As we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Suran Singh, we demand the Pakistani Government to ensure the safety of the Sikh community and also of other minority communities, and to take strong immediate actions to curb these unacceptable killings of members of minority communities in Pakistan and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he added.
World Sikh Organization President, Mukhbir Singh said, “We are deeply saddened by the senseless murder of Sardar Soran Singh. He was a well-respected politician in Pakistan and a leader in the Sikh community but more so, he was an advocate for the rights of minorities in Pakistan. His killing reflects the constant danger minorities in Pakistan face from extremists like the Taliban. WSO has called upon the Pakistan government to ensure that religious minorities are protected and those responsible for this horrific crime are quickly brought to justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sardar Soran Singh’s family at this very difficult time.”
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