A Sikh student named Onkar Singh from Lahore, Pakistan, has achieved a remarkable feat by scoring the highest marks in Islamic studies in the 9th-grade matriculation exam in Punjab 2025. The student scored 98% and is also in the Quran translation paper. His success is being hailed as a milestone for interfaith harmony in Pakistan and academic excellence.
His achievement has been gaining widespread attention because Onkar Singh belongs to the Sikh minority community in Pakistan, and despite that, he scored exceptionally well in the Islamic studies subject, beating his fellow Muslim students. His score demonstrates his academic and outstanding academic merit.
Apart from Islamiyat, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Onkar Singh scored 75 in English, 74 in Urdu, and 49 out of 15 in translation of the Holy Quran. Scoring exceptionally in subjects like Islamiyat in the translation of the Holy Quran while belonging to a different path shows that Ankar has not only put in significant intellectual effort but also values understanding diverse traditions. His scores have drawn particular attention on social media. However, there are divided views on the Sikh student securing the highest marks in Islamic studies.
Many view that Sikh student Onkar Singh should have been allowed to study another subject instead of Islamic studies, or he should not have been forced to study a subject apart from his religion.
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Speaking about his success, Onkar credited his achievement to the guidance of his teachers and the unwavering support of his parents. Ankar Singh aspires to become a doctor, following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Mimpal Singh, who is recognized for his exceptional contributions to medicine. Dr. Singh was conferred with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2024 in recognition of his services.
Proud of his achievements, Dr. Mimpal Singh said the entire Sikh community across Pakistan is celebrating Ankar’s success. Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat also appreciated Ankar’s remarkable achievement by sharing his results on his official Twitter account, commenting, “Well done”.
He also questioned the performance of the government schools where Muslim students were failing in religious subjects, whereas a non-Muslim had passed them with flying colours. According to official figures, only 45% of the students managed to pass the exams this year. The overall failure rate stood at 65% for boys and 47% for girls, showing a clear gender gap in academic performance.