Residents of a Pakistani village are in deep mourning following the death of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92.

The villagers from Gah in Chakwal gathered to offer prayers for their “Dr Saab,” Singh, who lay in a state more than 600 kilometres away.

The meeting took place at the home of Raja Mohammad Ali, the only resident who had seen the former Indian PM since he left the village as a child eight decades ago.

The villagers expressed sorrow that Singh never fulfilled his promise to visit Gah.

Singh’s childhood friend, Ali, had travelled to Delhi to see him in 2008 while Singh was PM but passed away in 2014.

Ali’s nephew, Aashiq Hussain, said at the prayer ceremony, “Had Dr Saab not been there, our village would have none of this – the two-lane road, the high school, vocational training, solar power. Our entire village is mourning this loss as if we have lost a family elder.”

Another villager, Ibrar Akhtar Janjua, lamented that their wish for Singh to visit his birthplace remained unfulfilled.

Aashiq recalled that Ali often shared stories about Singh’s studious nature. When they met in Delhi, Singh reminisced about their childhood, saying, “While it was I who broke berries off trees with stones, my uncle would eat them all.”

Following Ali’s death, a condolence letter from the Indian Embassy arrived, accompanied by a personal message from Singh.

Singh was born in Gah and began his education in Urdu and Punjabi at a local gurdwara before attending the Government Primary School. He later moved to Peshawar, where he studied at Khalsa School. The family fled to India in 1947 after losing Singh’s grandfather during the Partition riots.

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The Government Primary School in Gah still retains the admission register that records Singh as its most famous student, listing his details in Urdu.

The current head teacher at the primary school, Altaf Hussain, stated that Singh has remained in the prayers of Gah’s residents since he became India’s PM. He noted the improvements the village has seen, attributing much of this progress to Singh’s influence.