LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Following the historic appointment of a female chief minister in Punjab, the province continues to make strides in history with the inauguration of its first Sikh minister in the provincial cabinet.
Ramesh Singh Arora, a lawmaker from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was sworn in as a minister in Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz’s cabinet. Returning for his third term in the provincial assembly, Arora has been entrusted with a ministry this time, with the minorities portfolio.
Hailing from Narowal district, Arora previously made history as the first Sikh lawmaker of Punjab when he took his oath as a member of the provincial assembly in 2013.
In addition to Arora, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, another member from Punjab’s religious minority, has been included in the provincial cabinet. Sindhu has been assigned the portfolio of human rights.
Despite various political parties or alliances forming governments since 1970, including the PML-N, Pakistan Peoples Party, Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the PML-N stands out as the only party to appoint the first Sikh Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) and include him in the cabinet.
Although the PTI also introduced a Sikh MPA to the Punjab Assembly in the form of Mahendra Pal Singh, he could not secure a return to the assembly in 2024 due to the party’s inability to secure its quota of reserved seats.
The current Punjab cabinet presents a mix of new and familiar faces, with individuals like Bilal Akhbar Khan, Rana Sikandar, Zeeshan Rafique, and Kazim Pirzada taking their oaths as ministers for the first time, although most have previously served as MPA for two or more terms.
Maryam Aurangzeb and Suhail Shaukat Butt bring their experience as former Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) to the table.
Azma Bokhari, who has been sworn in as an MPA for the fifth time in 2024, has been tasked with overseeing the Information Ministry of Punjab.
