Manmeet Kaur, a Pakistani journalist, broke shackles by becoming the first Sikh woman news reporter in the history of the country in 2018. In 2020, she was selected as one of 100 influential Sikh personalities under 30 years of age in the world by a UK-based global Sikh organization. She is also a social activist who has received several awards in Pakistan for highlighting issues faced by minorities and women.
Kaur shares that she has experienced the discrimination and hatred minorities face in Pakistan. Despite being bullied and subjected to racism on several occasions, she has remained strong and courageous. She is known for her steel mindset and strong attitude, which enable her to work against all odds.
She also revealed that Pakistani Sikhs have a very low literacy rate, and as a reporter, she has worked towards inspiring many women to educate themselves and be independent. The majority of her work focuses on minorities and women empowerment in Pakistan.
Kaur is a resident of Peshawar city. She is a postgraduate in social sciences from the Jinnah College for Women. She has four siblings. Her father is a retired businessman and her mother is a housewife. She is married and has one child.
She had aspirations of becoming Pakistan's first Sikh woman model but instead decided to become a journalist and serve her community and society at large. She became the first Sikh woman journalist in Pakistan in 2018, when she joined the news channel, HUM TV. Her uncle Radesh Singh Tony inspired her to pursue journalism.
Her family and community members were not happy and supportive when she started reporting because they said the girls don't work outside their homes. They were worried and concerned about the challenges she would have to face. However, she claimed that when she began covering stories on the issues,the Sikh community was facing, they began to appreciate her work and soon she won their support.
Kaur worked as a computer academy administrator for three years before becoming a journalist.
In 2020, ‘The Sikh Group’ in the UK nominated her for an award for highlighting problems faced by the Sikh community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 100 people from around the world were nominated in the first phase and some of them were to be shortlisted for the award.
The Sikh Group is a global organization that honors Sikhs from all over the world who serve people in different ways. Recognition is given to the special contributions made by Sikhs in the fields of business, sport, charity, media, entertainment, education, selfless voluntary service, lifetime achievement, and the special recognition award, which is given to someone from another faith-promoting multiculturalism.
In Pakistan, Manmeet Kaur has worked to promote inter-faith harmony and the rights of minorities. Many celebrities such as Ammy Virk, Guru Randhawa, Sidhu Moosewala, Sonam Bajwa, and Jass Manak were also included in the 2020 list.
"Those who work hard will reap the rewards and it is a great honor for my family to visit the UK and represent Pakistan," she says.
Her nomination for the award will encourage other women to work hard in their respective fields and serve humanity. She said if she is lucky enough to eventually get the award, she will represent the whole country in the UK and tell others that women in Pakistan never lag in any field.
There is no limit to what women can accomplish, for limits exist only in the mind. Manmeet Kaur has not only inspired a lot of women, but has also proven that with strength, resilience, determination, and grace, nothing is impossible. She has brought glory to her nation and the Sikh community by earning her rightful place.