[ad_1]
LONDON: A controversial pir from Sindh was on Friday placed on the British government’s sanctions list, making Pakistan one of 11 countries where rights violators will be punished.
In a comment to the dawn, the British High Commission said: “The UK takes freedom of religion or belief very seriously and is committed to protecting minorities around the world. The new package of sanctions targets violators of fundamental freedoms. These include Maulvi Mian Abdul Haque of Bharchundi Sharif Dargah in Ghotki, Sindh, who is responsible for forced marriages and forced conversions of non-Muslims and minors. No other Pakistani nationals are included in this sanctions package.
The restrictions effectively mean that designated persons will be unable to do any business or economic activity with UK nationals or businesses, and will be refused entry to the UK.
Pir, popularly known as Mian Mithu, is notorious in upper Sindh for his alleged involvement in the forced conversion and marriage of minor Hindu girls. He has denied the allegations on several occasions and has also claimed to promote religious harmony in Sindh.
Mithu hit the headlines after he allegedly converted a Hindu girl, Rinkle Kumari, whose name was changed to Faryal, to Islam in February 2012 before her marriage to a local Muslim, Naveed Shah.
Mian Mithu claimed that the conversion was not forced. He was in the news again in September this year.
He made headlines when he reportedly led a large number of people who took to the streets to protest an alleged blasphemy incident.
In 2008, Peer won a National Assembly seat on a PPP ticket, but the party denied him a ticket in 2012.
In 2015, Imran Khan tried to invite him into the party fold but was forced to disassociate himself with the cleric after protests from the Hindu community.
In 2021, activists called out the PTI government on Twitter after Mia Mithu was invited by the Council of Islamic Ideology to consider legislation on forced conversions.
Clerics expressed reservations over the draft bill, and a parliamentary panel ultimately rejected the bill despite opposition from minority lawmakers.
Maulvi is one of 30 individuals who have been sanctioned in total. Of these, 18, including Mithu, have been targeted for “human rights violations and abuses”.
Meanwhile, sources in the Pakistani government expressed displeasure at the tarnishing of Pakistan’s name because of the man.
Published in Dawn on December 10th, 2022
[ad_2]
Source link
