Fri Dec 27 22:10:00 UTC 2024: ## Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Dies at 92; Ancestral Village Mourns
**Gah, Pakistan (December 28, 2024)** – The death of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cast a pall of grief over his ancestral village of Gah, located in Pakistan’s Chakwal district. Singh, who passed away at age 92 in New Delhi, is remembered fondly by villagers as “Mohna,” the boy who went on to become a pivotal figure in Indian economic reforms.
Residents of Gah, a village about 100 kilometers southwest of Islamabad, gathered to mourn the loss of the man they consider one of their own. Altaf Hussain, a local schoolteacher at the very institution where Singh received his early education (up to Class 4), described the mood as one of profound sadness. He recalled Singh’s humble beginnings, his father being a cloth merchant and his mother a homemaker.
The school, where Singh’s admission number is still recorded as 187, holds a special place in the village’s collective memory. Villagers credit Singh’s rise to prominence with prompting local authorities to improve the village’s infrastructure, and there was even discussion of naming the school in his honor.
Although Singh moved to Amritsar shortly before Partition and rarely returned to Gah, his connection to the village remained strong. Raja Ashiq Ali, nephew of one of Singh’s schoolmates, stated that villagers were deeply moved by his death and wished to attend his funeral but were unable to do so.
While many of Singh’s childhood friends have passed away, their families still reside in Gah and treasure the memories of the boy who became India’s Prime Minister. The villagers expressed hope that a member of Singh’s family will visit Gah to pay their respects. The legacy of “Mohna” – the boy from Gah who reshaped India’s economic landscape – lives on, not only in India, but also in the hearts of those who knew him in his childhood home.
First Piper 