KEY POINTS
- 85 per cent of Sikh aid reached Muslim families in Buner.
- Sikh population in Pakistan stands at just 15,998.
- Baba Gurpal Singh’s team aided thousands with medicine and food.
- Locals hail Sikh relief as true interfaith harmony in action.
- Volunteers show humanity can succeed where politics often fails.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: In the mountainous valleys of Buner district—located about 140 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital, Peshawar—swollen rivers have inundated entire villages, leaving hundreds dead and infrastructure in ruins.
Amid the devastation, the efforts of Sikh volunteers delivering aid have become a lifeline for survivors. In the aftermath of the August 15 cloudburst in Buner, the Sikh community stepped forward to support flood survivors, showing that when it comes to relief work, they are rising to the occasion.
Fund raised overnight
Leading them is Sardar Surjeet Singh, a 40-year-old man from Nankana Sahib, a historic city in the central Punjab and the birthplace of the found of Sikh religion, Baba Guru Nanak.
With a small team of five Sikh community members and emergency funds raised through a WhatsApp group, Surjeet Singh, pooled Rs. 1.5 million within 48 hours, enabling cash support worth Rs. 20,000 to families who lost homes and Rs. 10,000 to shopkeepers whose livelihoods were washed away.
Speaking to WE News English, Surjeet Singh remarks, “In disasters, faith comes second—humanity comes first. The flood doesn’t ask whether you are Sikh or Muslim. It destroys everything. So, we must rebuild together.”
In Pir Baba village—around 21 kilometres south of Daggar, the district headquarters of Buner—Sikh teams distributed cash grants to 20 families and 27 shopkeepers, proving that minorities can carry more than their fair share when duty calls.
In disasters, faith comes second—humanity comes first. The flood doesn’t ask whether you are Sikh or Muslim. It destroys everything. So, we must rebuild together.”- Surjeet Singh
Surjeet Singh, who was recently honoured with Pakistan’s Interfaith Harmony Award, emphasises that 85 per cent of their relief went to Muslim families, with the remainder to minorities: “Every Pakistani life is equal—Sikh, Hindu, Christian, or Muslim.”
In Buner, while the Sikh community fortunately reported no loss of life during the recent floods, nearly 40 families saw their homes and livelihoods swept away. Among the affected was the Shamshan Ghat area—a place of spiritual significance for the community—which also sustained damage.
Floodwaters hit Sikh households in Pir Baba Bazaar, Sharifabad, and Bacha Kallay, where many families were left with no choice but to abandon their homes and move in with relatives.
Punching above their weight
According to Pakistan’s 2023 Population Census, minorities make up 8.77 million people, 3.65 per cent of the population. Punjab is home mostly to Christians, Sindh to Hindus and Scheduled Castes, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has just 0.38 per cent minorities—about 155,000 people, including only 4,050 Sikhs. Nationally, the Sikh population stands at 15,998.
This is our homeland, not India. Whenever disasters strike, we set aside religion, race, and colour to serve fellow Pakistanis.” – Dr. Sahib Singh
Despite their small numbers, Sikhs have long punched above their weight in disaster relief. During the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Sikh families set up aid camps in Balakot, donating Rs. 4.2 million. In the 2022 Sindh floods, Sikh and Hindu volunteers ran kitchens and provided shelter for thousands.
“This is our homeland, not India,” explains Dr. Sahib Singh, a senior Sikh leader in Peshawar. “Whenever disasters strike, we set aside religion, race, and colour to serve fellow Pakistanis.”
Frontline Sikh responders
This year’s floods have been among the deadliest in recent memory.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the recent floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed 425 lives, leaving 376 people injured, and destroying more than 2,500 houses.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, with Buner district recording the highest toll of 337 deaths.
Helping flood victims is not charity—it’s our duty. We cleaned mosques, delivered food house-to-house, and even made sure that stoves in Muslim homes kept burning.” – Baba Gurpal Singh
Among the frontline responders is Baba Gurpal Singh, a Sikh member of the provincial assembly also went to flood-affected areas of Buner to supervise relief camps staffed by eight doctors.
His team distributed medicines to 1,800 patients, shoes for 1,500 children, hygiene kits to 1,000 women, and ration packages to 200 families—truly leaving no stone unturned in reaching victims.
“Helping flood victims is not charity—it’s our duty,” he says. “We cleaned mosques, delivered food house-to-house, and even made sure that stoves in Muslim homes kept burning.”
Rafiq Khan, a resident of Bushonayi village in Buner, tells WE English that the relief efforts were a “real picture of interfaith harmony,” as Sikh volunteers provided assistance to Muslim victims in Pir Baba Bazaar without any discrimination.
“Even after the floods, they continued to organise medical camps for those in need,” he says, adding that people would never forget the minority community’s efforts in such a critical time.
Rasheed Buneri, a shopkeeper in Pir Baba Bazaar, recalls how his small shop, stocked with groceries worth around Rs100,000, was washed away in the floods.
“I was under immense stress after losing everything. But on the third day after the flood, a group of Sikhs came to my shop, met me, and handed me Rs30,000 in cash. For me, this was the biggest gift in the middle of a natural disaster,” he says.
Centuries of coexistence
For centuries, Sikhs and Pashtuns in northwest Pakistan have lived side by side not only in the settled districts of the province, but also in the remote Tirah valley in Khyber district, sharing markets, traditions, and festivals.
Their relief work today is part of a long tradition of shared lives and mutual solidarity.” – Dr. Khadim Hussain
Social scientist Dr. Khadim Hussain, the Director Research at the Centre for Regional Policy and Dialogue, while speaking to WE News English says that the Sikh response to floods reflects this deep integration: “Their relief work today is part of a long tradition of shared lives and mutual solidarity.”
That solidarity extends far beyond disaster zones. Every Ramadan, Peshawar’s Sikhs host communal iftar meals for Muslims; in return, Muslims join Sikh celebrations such as Vaisakhi.
“Eid or Diwali, joy or grief—we share everything together,” observes Manmeet Kaur, a young female Sikh volunteer based in Peshawar.
Humanity above politics
At a time when India-Pakistan relations remain fraught, the image of a marginalised minority leading relief for the Muslim majority offers a striking counter-narrative. It is a reminder that humanity often thrives where politics fails.
For families in Buner and Swat, the Sikh volunteers are more than aid workers—they are neighbours, protectors, and symbols of a shared Pakistan, showing that actions speak louder than words.
