— Accuses government of ‘mistreating’ minorities in Pakistan
— Prime suspect in Sardar Soran Singh murder case, Kumar replaced him as MPA upon death as per law
PESHAWAR: Former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Baldev Kumar, who was nominated in the murder case of another minority lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is trying to seek political asylum in India.
Kumar, who is currently in India on a three-month visa for medical treatment of his 12-year-old daughter who is a Thalassemia major patient, has accused the PTI government of ‘mistreating’ minorities in Pakistan.
In a press conference on Tuesday in Khanna, a city in the Indian district of Ludhiana, the former PTI lawmaker alleged that Pakistan was an “unsafe country”, especially for minorities.
“[Even] Muslims are not secure there [Pakistan], how can a Sikh like me be secure there?”
When a reporter said that “his party” [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf] was in power in the country, he replied: “[Yes], my party is in power in the country […] Prime Minister Imran Khan was talking about a ‘new Pakistan’ but the old one was better compared to this new Pakistan.”
“Minorities are not safe in Pakistan, not at all,” he claimed, also accusing the government of “playing politics” on the proposed Kartarpur Corridor.
In a video statement issued on Tuesday, KP Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, however, rejected Kumar’s allegations of mistreatment of minorities under the PTI government.
Yousafzai said Kumar could “live wherever [he] wanted” but that his allegations of mistreatment of minorities were “utterly baseless and false”.
He further recalled that Baldev was on trial for the murder of MPA Soran Singh, adding that although the court acquitted him, the victim’s family still accuses him of murder.
“However, it was their personal matter. When the incident happened, since then Kumar’s party membership has been suspended, finished,” said Yousafzai, adding: “He is not a part of the PTI.”
SARDAR SORAN SINGH MURDER CASE
Kumar, along with five others charged in the murder case of Sardar Soran Singh but was acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in April last due to lack of evidence.
Elected on a reserved seat for non-Muslim minorities on a PTI ticket in the 2013 general election, Singh was appointed in the provincial cabinet as an adviser to then Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak. He was shot dead by the unknown assailants in his residence at village Pacha Keley (Pir Baba), Buner in April 2016.
Later on, the police unearthed a local gang involved in murdering Singh. According to the prosecution, Kumar had hatched a plan of murdering Singh by hiring assassins so that he could replace him in the provincial assembly.
Baldev was the runner-up for the minority seat on PTI’s list. As per law, if an MPA dies, the seat shall be filled by the next person in order of precedence from the party list of the candidates.
As the investigations went underway, Baldev along with five others was charged with killing Singh “through hired assassins”.
At the time of the verdict, Ajay Soran Singh, son of Sardar Soran Singh, when contacted said, “We are dissatisfied with the verdict but due to lacking resources, it is impossible for us to challenge it in the superior courts.”
He added that it is astonishing that all of the accused have made confessional statements before the police and courts.