Pir Abdul Haq aka Mian Mitho.
The much publicised and debated conversion of Rinkle Kumari (Faryal), among others, appears to have cost the Pir of Bharchoondi Sharif the party ticket for NA-200 Ghotki.
The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians’ leader, Pir Abdul Haq aka Mian Mitho, who won the elections from the NA-200 seat, will contest the elections this year as an independent candidate.
In his place, the party has awarded the ticket to Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund who was previously with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and lost to Mian Mitho in the 2008 elections on the same seat.
Lund joined the PPPP a year ago after former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza held a meeting with him in Ghotki
Forced conversions
Mian Mitho, who is one of the Pirs of Dargah Bharchoondi Sharif and an influential figure of the area, is known to welcome Hindu boys and girls who wish to embrace Islam. He also reportedly provides them protection from their families and others in case they feel unsafe.
His name came in the limelight after a Hindu girl, Rinkle Kumari (Faryal), converted to Islam in February, 2012. A resident of Mirpur Mathelo, Rinkle eloped with a Muslim boy, Naveed Shah, after embracing Islam at the Dargah Bharchoondi Sharif.
Her conversion led to an uproar in the Hindu community who claimed that she was forced to convert and that Mian Mihto was providing shelter to her alleged kidnappers.
After the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of the incident, Rinkle told the court that she had chosen Islam and married her husband of her own free will. The court allowed her to live with her husband. The allegations of kidnapping and forced conversion, however, did not go away as the Hindu community maintained that she was being threatened by Mian Mitho to say that she converted of her own free will.
Mixed feelings
Lund while talking to The Express Tribune confirmed that PPPP has shown awarded him the party ticket at NA-200 instead of Mian Mitho. “The party’s leadership has confidence in me and I won’t let them down,” he said. “I am thankful to the party and hopefully, will be victorious in the elections.”
According to Mian Mitho, the party punished him for serving Islam. “For decades, non-Muslims have been coming to this Dargah to embrace Islam. How can we stop them or turn them away?” he told The Express Tribune. “The first thing we do is contact the family of the person who wants to embrace Islam and only after that we allow them to become Muslim. There are no forced conversions, as being claimed by some people. Instead they are given ample time to reconsider their decision.”
In the case of Rinkle Kumari, she was made to talk to her family before embracing Islam, he said.
He accused former Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah of asking him to choose between politics and “Mullaism” during a meeting. “I told him I am a Muslim first, then a Pakistani and then a politician. I cannot quit serving Islam.”
Mian Mitho has filed nomination papers from NA-200. “Many parties have asked me to join them but I will contest the elections as an independent candidate.”
He was confident of victory, saying that all parties were supporting him. “There are around 2,000 Hindu voters in my constituency, out of which 50 per cent might not vote for me - it makes no difference.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.
COMMENTS (18)
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It was never a forced conversion. In apex court the girl chose her way without any force. Only Hindu & anti-muslims are voicing. Though, I am not a follower of Pirs and have never voted them but this is true that the girl made his decision independently.
I have a question, when two majors fall in love the local jirga or elders are killing them in the name of honour, but why these love affairs are not treated the same way, unless otherwise the mullahs are happy with conversion to Islam.
@From Sindh:
What planet -- or what part of Sind -- do you live on? Mian Mitho is a dangerous man who gives Islam a bad name by engaging in forced conversions, mainly, of minor girls as young as 10 and later "encouraging" them to marry old men. This fact is well known not only in the Hindu and other communities but also to Muslims; the police also knows this but is unable or unwilling to take action because of its own lack of interest and the hate culture prevalent in Pakistan against minorities. It is a tragedy of modern Pakistan that characters like Mian Mitho can use Islam (aka religious fanaticism) to pursue their unethical, immoral and unlawful conduct. Having destroyed many innocent young lives, it is a shame that this dangerous criminal, a predator, is free and can continue with his nefarious activities in the name of Islam. In any other civilized country, the man would be catching flies in a tiny prison cell and pondering upon the harm he has done to mankind (if he has the decency to do that).
Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund must be a very rich man, wearing a Rolex watch.
I am from Ghotki and can honestly tell that there are no forced conversions here. Only protection provided from influencial and rich Hindus who always tro to punish converts to set example for to be converts. Yes if People like this approach of PPP then let me assure you Qaim Ali Shah will be next PM candidate of PPP (and I shiver just thinking about it)
in my idea pppp has taken good decision against mian mithoo.
Way to go PPP. A glimmer of hope after five years of gloom.
PPP needs to remain secular if it wants Sindhi vote. People of Sindh (new Sindhis or old Sindhis) are secular in practice.
If they become conservative then they might win few seats in Punjab and KPK but they will lose to nationalists in Sindh and Balochistan.
Does it mean that this man will merely be denied a party ticket to contest the elections and there will be no judicial process against all the crimes committed by him against the minorities? In a civilized society, criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and brought to justice. Or is it because some are more equal than others -- that the stronger go scot-free, despite their acts of barbarism, while the weaker ones merely have to remain silent and suffer?
In case Pakistanis are not aware, this man known as Mia Mitho is known for aggressively pursuing the conversion of Hindus, particularly minor girls into Islam, using force and other forms of coercion to achieve the purpose. He is blacklisted in many countries for what would be considered as a crime against humanity -- some critics call it "conversion genocide" -- particularly because immature minor girls belonging to minorities are many times not even aware what they are doing and the implications of the step for their future and that of their families. People wonder what sort of a system exists in Pakistan where the law, created by fanatics to suit and benefit the majority, totally ignores minorities who are persecuted and denied even the simplest of opportunities to flourish. By comparison, India is a paradise for Muslims who, despite the occasional disagreement with the majority community, can thrive and succeed. The long list of successful Muslims in Indian society - ranging from occupying the highest office of the President through Bollywood stars to highly successful entrepreneurs like Premji (Wipro) -- provides an eloquent testimony to the glaring contrast between a vibrant democracy (as existing in India) and an autocratic regime (as existing in Pakistan) headed by politicians, military and mullahs with a fascist and totally intolerant mental outlook that believes in crushing the weaker sections of society.
....and don't forget Mian Mithu :P
Awesome news, thank you PPP. However, I would've been happier if Mian Mithu was sacked resign when forced conversion cases appeared.
Lunds are bad. PPP shouldn't give tickets to them!
Way to go Pakistan!!!
Hope the case will reopen and culprits will be punished.
Why Mian Mitho in the first instance did not took written application singed by the applicant himself, as welll as witnessed by two persons that Mr so an so would like to embrace Islam?
At least he would not been blamed by the people of Hindu Committee that their boys/girls have been forcefully converted as Muslims.