Soran Singh
Soran Singh | |
---|---|
Special Assistant on Minority Affairs Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[2] | |
In office 3 September 2013[1] – 22 April 2016 | |
Member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly | |
In office May 2013 – 22 April 2016 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Soran Singh |
Died | 22 April 2016 Pir Baba, Buner District, Pakistan |
Nationality | Pakistani |
Residence(s) | Bacha Kalay, Pir Baba, Buner District, Pakistan |
Profession | Doctor TV anchor Politician |
Soran Singh (died 22 April 2016) was a Pakistani Sikh doctor, TV anchor, politician[3] and Minister of Minorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[4][5] 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 also hosted the programme Za Hum Pakistani Yam for three and a half years with Khyber News.[6]
Assassination
He was gunned down in a targeted attack near his house on Friday, 22 April 2016.[7][8][9][10] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police later arrested Baldev Kumar, who allegedly orchestrated Singh's murder due to political rivalry, and hired paid assassins for the purpose. Kumar wanted to contest elections from the same party on a reserved minority seat. He developed differences with Singh when the latter was picked for the seat.[11][12] Kumar was acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in 2018 for lack of "solid evidence."[13] Expressing his disquiet with the verdict, Soran's son Ajay Singh at the time had said: "We are dissatisfied with the verdict but due to lacking resources, it is impossible for us to challenge it in the superior courts."[13] According to Ajay, the accused had also made confessional statements before the police and courts regarding the murder.[13] Kumar alleged that he was wrongly accused because of his religion.[14]
References
- ^ "Mr. Soran Singh". KP Assembly. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Covering issues: Politicos, bureaucrats part of Ehtesab's 100 hit list". The Express Tribune. 31 July 2015.
- ^ Arshad, Sameer (21 October 2012). "For this Singh, Khan is king". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Ammara, Ahmad (30 September 2014). "The Killing of the Sikhs". The Diplomat. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "KPK govt great move this time to attract world community". 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Minority representation: Sikh assembly aspirant lays bare his plans". The Express Tribune. 20 May 2013.
- ^ AFP (22 April 2016). "TTP claims assassination of PTI minority MPA in Buner". dawn.com. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ Serjeant, Jill (23 April 2016). "Prominent figure in Pakistan's Sikh minority killed by Taliban gunmen". Reuters. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "Funeral prayers of PTI leader Soran Singh offered". Geo.tv. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "PTI MPA Sardar Soran Singh Shot Dead in Buner". Daily Pakistan Global. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "K-P police arrests PTI minority leader over Soran Singh's killing". The Express Tribune. 25 April 2016.
- ^ Shah, Waseem Ahmad (2 May 2016). "Soran Singh's murder uncovers flaws in election laws". dawn.com.
- ^ a b c Shahid, Shamim (26 April 2018). "Baldev Kumar, five others acquitted in Sardar Soran Singh's murder case". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Ex-MLA of Imran Khan's PTI Wants Political Asylum in India, Says 'Hindus, Sikhs Being Killed' in Pakistan". News18.