Kin of Pak's former MLA seeks Centre's intervention for asylum

The family of Baldev Kumar, a former MLA from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), on Tuesday requested the Central government to intervene and provide political asylum to him.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar's mother-in-law Jyoti said: "The children and their mother came here on March 2. Now, my son-in-law has also come. He does not want to go back. He wants to settle here. He says minorities do not get proper facilities in Pakistan and are not treated properly."

Kumar, 43, has alleged that minorities including Hindus and Sikhs are being prosecuted in Pakistan.

"I would only request the Indian government to accept their request to settle in India because it is their homeland," added Jyoti.

The former MLA from Barikot in Khyber Pakhtun Khwa (KPK) assembly of the ruling party also slammed Pakistan for the treatment being meted out to minorities and its poor track record of human rights.

"When even Muslims are not secure in Pakistan, how would Sikhs like me be secure there," he said while talking to reporters here.

Kumar said only those people who are playing into the hands of Pakistani agencies work in gurdwaras there.

Recalling an incident, Kumar said: "For example, the Jatha which came from India during Baisakhi, they were not provided rooms. They were made to sit outside."

"I along with 12 'Sardars' whom I don't want to mention here due to fear of reprisal against them in Pakistan, had to fight with the caretakers to provide room to them."

He also slammed Imran Khan who never fails to talk about the condition of minorities in India, "overlooking the plight of minorities in his own country."

"Khan Sahib is talking of 'Naya' (new) Pakistan. I say 'Purana' (old) Pakistan was much better than 'Naya' Pakistan," Kumar said.

Rejecting to Pakistan's criticism of human rights violation in Kashmir, he said: "No choppers were ever used in Kashmir. The situation in Swat Valley became so bad that we had to shift from there.