Abdul Haq (politician)

Abdul Haq is a Muslim cleric and Pakistani politician.[1] He is among the leaders of the Bharchundi Shareef Dargah, and a locally influential figure.[2] Haq 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.[2][3] He received 59,022 votes and defeated Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q).[4]

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

Haq has been criticized for his alleged role in forcibly converting Hindus, including minors, to Islam.[5][6] Haq has been the target of protests against these alleged conversions.[5][1] He became the subject of media attention in 2012 after the high-profile case of Rinkle Kumari, a Hindu woman who converted to Islam in the Bharchundi Shareef Dargah. Members of the Hindu community stated that she had been kidnapped and converted against her will, and that Haq had sheltered her kidnappers and threatened her into saying she had chosen to convert.[2][3]

Following his alleged involvement in the case, the PPP selected a different candidate to contest the 2013 Pakistani general election.[2][7] Haq ran as an independent candidate in the 2013 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.[8] In 2015, he was invited by former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman, Imran Khan, to join his political party, a decision that was reversed after protests from the Hindu community.[9][10] In 2021, Imran Khan's government invited him to a Council of Islamic Ideology deliberation on legislation around forced conversion, a move that was strongly opposed by activists and the Hindu community in Pakistan.[11]

On 9 December 2022, the UK government sanctioned Abdul Haq for forced conversions and marriages of girls and women from religious minorities.[12]

See also

References
  1. "ALARMING: Who is 'Mitthu Mian' and why do Hindus in Pakistan fear him?". Zee News. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. "Allegations of forced conversion cost Mian Mitho party ticket - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  3. "Up against sardars: First woman to contest elections from Ghotki - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  4. "2008 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. Tanzeem, Ayesha (11 August 2016). "Pakistan's Hindus Protest Forced Conversions of Girls to Islam". Voice of America. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. "PAKISTAN: Government must immediately stop communal violence in Sindh". Asian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  7. Guriro, Amar (25 June 2018). "No GDA party awarding ticket to Mian Mitho, clarifies Palijo". Daily Times. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. "2013 election result" (PDF). ECP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. Yudhvir Rana (5 September 2015). "Imran Khan faces ire of Hindu community of Pakistan | Amritsar News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. Daur, Naya (16 September 2022). "Who Is Mian Mithu?". NayaDaur.tv. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  11. Rehman, Atika (10 December 2022). "UK sanctions controversial Sindh cleric". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  12. "UK sanctions target 30 corrupt political figures, human rights violators and perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence around the world". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
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