Abdul Haq (politician)


Mian Abdul Haq, also known as "Mian Mitthu" and "Mitthu Mian", is a Muslim cleric and Pakistani politician. He is a member of Bharchundi Shareef Dargah. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. He is alleged to have participated in kidnapping at least 117 underage Hindu girls, forcing their conversion to Islam and marrying them to older Muslim men at that dargah. He is further alleged to incite violence against Hindus, especially by misusing Pakistan's blasphemy laws against non-Muslims.

Religious life and persecution of minorities

He has been named in several cases of religious discrimination, forced conversion and forced marriage of underage Hindu girls. Mian Mithu allegedly abducted 117 Hindu girls, forcefully converted them and subsequently sold and married them to Muslim men. He became notorious in 2012 for such abductions and conversions when his name came up in the case of Hindu girl Rinkle Kumari. Rinkle Kumari, a 19-year Pakistani student, Lata Kumari, and Asha Kumari, a Hindu working in a beauty parlor, were allegedly forced to convert from Hinduism to Islam. Their cases were appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The appeal was admitted but remained unheard ever after. Rinkle was abducted by a gang and "forced" to convert to Islam, before being head shaved. Afterwards, Rinkle reportedly stated that she will stay with her husband rather than return home - her husband and the son of Mitthu Mian met her several times just before her final statement in the Supreme Court. He allegedly created an armed private militia around the kidnapped victims, and triumphantly paraded his victims before thousands of cheering supporters. His victims include girls from the Ghotki area where his shrine is located.

Political career

Mithu was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-200 as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party in 2008 Pakistani general election. He received 59,022 votes and defeated Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League .
He unsuccessfully ran again as an independent candidate in the 2013 Pakistani 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 but was again unsuccessful. He received 19 votes and lost the seat to Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar.