Mian Mitho pays the heavy price for forced conversion allegations, loses PPP tickets

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Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Pir Abdul Haq, famously known as Mian Mitho may have paid a heavy price for the much publicised conversion of Rinkle Kumari (Faryal).

According to details, the Pir of Bharchoondi was not awarded a ticket by PPP to contest for NA-200. Instead, it was given to Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund who was previously a member of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and who had lost to Mian Mitho on the same seat in the general elections of 2008.

Mian Mitho will now be contesting elections as an independent candidate.

The scandal

Mian Mitho, who is one of the Pirs of Dargah Bharchoondi Sharif and an influential figure in the region, is famous for welcoming Hindu boys and girls who wish to convert to Islam. He allegedly provides them protection from their families in case they feel unsafe.

Controversy struck when a Hindu girl Rinkle Kumari, (Faryal) converted to Islam in February last year. Rinkle then eloped with a Muslim boy, Naveed Shah, after embracing Islam at the Dargah Bharchoondi Sharif.

Her conversion created an outrage in the Hindu community who claimed that she was forced to convert and that Mian Mihto had been 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.

The reaction

According to media reports, Lund has confirmed the PPP ticket that was awarded to him for NA-200. He expressed gratitude to the party leadership and hoped that he would not let them down.

However, Mian Mitho claimed that he had been punished for his services to Islam. He said, “How can we turn people away from converting to Islam out of their own free will.”

He clarified that whenever someone came to him for conversion, he first contacted their family and informed them about their choice. He further claimed that everyone was given enough time to change their mind.

He accused former Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah of asking him to choose between politics and “Mullaism” during a meeting.

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. He said that it did not matter if the Hindu community in his area did not vote for him.

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      Thanks for helping me understand why Narendra Modi is becoming more popular on the other side of the border …
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