Chandigarh: In a country where the Sikh community accounts for only 1 per cent of population, 15 year old Manbir Kaur made her people proud by becoming the first girl from the minority, to top matriculation exam in Pakistan.
Student of Shri Guru Nanak Devji High school at Nankana Sahib, Manbir scored 1,035 marks out of 1100. She is daughter of the head granthi at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib, Giani Prem Singh. Manbir’s proud father said she had achieved what even boys of the community could not. “I think Manbir’s hard work has paid off. She has always been a diligent student. Besides, God has been very kind.” The head granthi said that Manbir, an Amritdhari Sikh, performs 'kirtan sewa' at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib along with other groups.
Asked about the concern over education among girls in Pakistan, Giani Prem Singh said, “I think women should be treated no differently from men as they have as much a right to pursue their dreams. If they can run homes so efficiently, why shouldn’t they be allowed to conquer the world outside?”
He said about 200 Sikh families staying in Nankana Sahib were doing their bit to encourage their daughters to give in their best. “Manbir’s cousins have also done well in the Class 10 exams,” he added.
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has honoured her with a siropa after the result was announced. Kaur received congratulatory messages from different communities from all over Pakistan.
According to the 2010 census, there are only 15,000 Sikhs in Pakistan, a drastic drop from the more than 50,000 members of the community not so long ago. Migration due to atrocities against the minority community is seen as the main reason for the dwindling numbers. Girls from the community have been the target of forcible conversion to Islam for marriage with more than 100 such cases reported in the past three years.
