Pakistani Villagers Express Grief Over Former Indian Prime Minister's Death, Citing His Local Roots

Villagers from Gah, a small settlement in Pakistan, expressed deep sorrow over the passing of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. According to a local teacher, the village was engulfed in grief, with many mourning as if they had lost a family member. The villagers reportedly expressed a strong desire to attend Singh’s funeral but, given the circumstances, opted instead to hold a memorial service in the village to pay their respects.

Manmohan Singh, who was born in Gah, had ancestral roots in the village before his family migrated to India during the partition. The villagers noted that they had repeatedly invited Singh to visit his birthplace, but he had never been able to return. Speaking to reporters, elders in the community expressed their hope that at least his wife or children might visit Gah someday to reconnect with their ancestral ties.

Gah, located about 100 kilometers from Pakistan's capital Islamabad, was once part of pre-partition India. After the partition of 1947, several families, including that of Manmohan Singh, migrated to India. Singh, who served as India’s Prime Minister for a decade, visited Pakistan during his tenure but could not visit his native village. However, he did warmly welcome a childhood friend from Gah when the latter visited New Delhi.