Pak Hindu leader plans to move court over MPA oath issue

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Baldev Kumar, lodged in a Peshawar jail for his alleged involvement in the murder of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa minority affairs minister Sardar Sooran Singh, plans to move court after assembly speaker refused to administer oath to him.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar refused to administer oath to Kumar and his oath taking has not even been made an item of assembly agenda for the session.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had declared Kumar as the returned candidate on the reserved seat which became vacant after the murder of Singh in April.
According to rules, after issuance of the notification by the Election Commission, oath taking should be included as an item in the assembly agenda of the day.

Sources said Kumar has started consultation with his well wishers and close relative for taking the matter to court.
Kumar was arrested by police for his alleged involvement in the murder of Singh, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Buner district, some 160 kms northeast of Peshawar.

Soon after the attack, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.
The constitution permitted the runner up candidate Kumar to take oath as Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA).
However, the provincial government led by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had taken a tough stance after nomination of Kumar in the murder of Singh and had decided then that the government would not allow an accused to sit in the assembly.

Interestingly, the constitution permitted the runner up candidate against the minority seats to become member of the assembly after the death of the incumbent MPA.
However, this law does not apply to the runner candidates contesting against the general seats as in this case by-elections were held for filling the vacant seats.