Abdul Haq (politician)

Mian Abdul Haq, also known as "Mian Mitthu" and "Mitthu Mian", is a Muslim cleric and Pakistani politician.[1] He is a member of Bharchundi Shareef Dargah and notorious for forced conversion and abduction.[2][3][4] He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.[5] He is alleged to have participated in kidnapping at least 117 underage Hindu girls, forcing their conversion to Islam and marrying them to older Muslim men at that dargah.[6][7] He is further alleged to incite violence against Hindus, especially by misusing Pakistan's blasphemy laws against non-Muslims.[8][9][5][10][11]

Abdul Haq
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
2008–2013
ConstituencyNA-200 (Ghotki-I)
Personal details
NationalityPakistani
Political partyIndependent
Pakistan People’s Party

Religious life and persecution of minorities

He has been named in several cases of religious discrimination, forced conversion and forced marriage of underage Hindu girls.[8][9][12] Mian Mithu allegedly abducted 117 Hindu girls, forcefully converted them and subsequently sold and married them to Muslim men.[13] He became notorious in 2012 for such abductions and conversions when his name came up in the case of Hindu girl Rinkle Kumari.[5] Rinkle Kumari, a 19-year Pakistani student, Lata Kumari, and Asha Kumari, a Hindu working in a beauty parlor, were allegedly forced to convert from Hinduism to Islam.[14][15] Their cases were appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The appeal was admitted but remained unheard ever after.[16] Rinkle was abducted by a gang and "forced" to convert to Islam, before being head shaved.[17] Afterwards, Rinkle reportedly stated that she will stay with her husband rather than return home - her husband and the son of Mitthu Mian met her several times just before her final statement in the Supreme Court.[18] He allegedly created an armed private militia around the kidnapped victims, and triumphantly paraded his victims before thousands of cheering supporters.[5] His victims include girls from the Ghotki area where his shrine is located.

Political career

Mithu was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-200 (Ghotki-I) as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 2008 Pakistani general election.[19][20][21][22] He received 59,022 votes and defeated Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q).[23]

He unsuccessfully ran again as an independent candidate in the 2013 Pakistani general election. He received 69 votes and lost the seat to Ali Gohar Khan Mahar. In the same election, he ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as an independent candidate from Constituency PS-5 (Ghotki-I) but was again unsuccessful. He received 19 votes and lost the seat to Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar.[24]

See also

References
  1. "In Sindh, S Punjab everything in politics belongs to pirs". The Nation. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  2. "ALARMING: Who is 'Mitthu Mian' and why do Hindus in Pakistan fear him?". Zee News. 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  3. "Pakistan's Hindus Protest Forced Conversions of Girls to Islam | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  4. "Annihilation of minorities". Daily Times. 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  5. Mian Mithu, the extremist cleric whom Hindu families dread in Pakistan’s Sindh, The Print, 19 Sept 201.
  6. Sarfraz, Mehmal (2019-04-13). "In Pakistan, the problem of forced conversions". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  7. Rayala, Sri Sathvik (2020-09-28). "Forced Conversions In Pakistan: Where Are Human Rights For Pakistani Hindu, Sikh, & Christian Girls?". Medium. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  8. Who Is Mian Mithu?, Naya Daur, September 16, 2019
  9. "Forced conversions of Pakistani Hindu girls". 19 September 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  10. Desk, Web. "Sufi Preacher Infamous for Forced Conversion of Hindu Girls to Islam, Joins Imran Khan's Party". HinduPost. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  11. HRCP, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. "Forced conversion in Ghotki-Fact Finding Mission Report" (PDF). Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
  12. "Submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the consideration of the 3rd Universal Periodic Review of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during the 28th Session" (PDF). United Nations Human Rights Council.
  13. "PAKISTAN: Government must immediately stop communal violence in Sindh". Asian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  14. "Opinion: Rinkle Kumari – the new Marvi of Sindh by Marvi Sirmed". Thefridaytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  15. "SC orders release of Rinkle Kumari, others". Pakistan Observer. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  16. Tribune.com.pk (7 December 2016). "Curbs on forced conversion". The Express Tribune.
  17. Walsh, Declan (25 March 2012). "Pakistani Hindus Say Woman's Conversion to Islam Was Coerced". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  18. "Brides of Despair". The New Indian Express. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  19. "Sufism seen as cure for extremism, intolerance". The Nation. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  20. "Allegations of forced conversion cost Mian Mitho party ticket - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  21. "Up against sardars: First woman to contest elections from Ghotki - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  22. "Degrees of 181 MPs remain unverified". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  23. "2008 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  24. "2013 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
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