First Sikh PRO to Punjab governor ‘appointed on merit’

Pawan Singh Arora joined provincial information department three years ago

A Sikh civil servant appointed as public relations officer to Punjab governor says he joined the provincial bureaucracy on merit.

In a first in the country’s history, Pawan Singh Arora, who was previously working as district information officer, Nankana Sahib, was nominated as Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar’s public relations officer last week.

For the first in history of Governor House Lahore, First Sikh Public Relations Officer, Pawan Singh Arora, has assumed charge as PRO to Governor Punjab . Previously, He was working as District Information Officer Nankana Sahab

— Team Sarwar (@TeamSarwar) January 11, 2019

“I assumed charge [at the Directorate General of Public Relations, Punjab] three years ago after passing an exam,” he told a private TV channel on Wednesday.

“There is a quota reserved for minorities but I was selected on open merit.”

Arora said he would apply all his expertise in the PR field to highlight achievements of the governor's office.

Sikhs form a small community in Pakistan, most of whom live in Punjab, and parts of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In November last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor, which connects two Sikh holy sites — Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan and Dera Baba Nanak in India.

Pakistan’s friendly gesture is meant to facilitate the Indian Sikh community to visit the sacred place where Baba Guru Nanak, their spiritual leader, lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.

Watch the interview here (37:00 onwards)