Why does Mian Mitho roam freely?

 Mian Mithu, a cleric from Pakistan's Sindh province, has been accused of being involved in the abduction, rape, and forced religious conversion of numerous Hindu girls in Pakistan

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. He belongs to an influential family in Sindh with links to political and religious figures in the province and is the custodian of the Bharchundi Sharif shrine in Sindh

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. Mian Mithu has been sanctioned by the UK government over allegations of forced conversions

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.Despite the accusations and sanctions, the Pakistani government has not taken significant action against Mian Mithu. One reason could be his political connections. In 2008, he won a National Assembly seat on a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ticket, but the party denied him a ticket in 2012

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. In 2015, former premier Imran Khan attempted to invite him into the party fold but was forced to disassociate himself with the cleric after protests from the Hindu community

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. In 2021, Mian Mithu was invited by the Council of Islamic Ideology to deliberate on legislation around forced conversion

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. Furthermore, Mian Mithu has been reported to have strong links with the Pakistani Army and PTI's chief Imran Khan, which allows him a free reign of terror as it earns them votes of a highly radicalized community

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.Another reason for the lack of action could be the government's reluctance to address the issue of forced conversions. In 2021, a parliamentary panel in Pakistan rejected an anti-forced conversion bill

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. The bill was not rejected by the Ministry of Religious Affairs or the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) but was dismissed on the instructions of Mian Mithu

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. Clerics had expressed reservations over the bill, calling it a conspiracy and suggesting that the government should not fall into the trap of the West by taking it to parliament

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.The case of Mian Mithu highlights the challenges that religious minorities face in Pakistan and the government's lack of action in addressing these issues. The government must take measures to protect religious minorities and ensure that individuals involved in forced conversions are held accountable for their actions.

Citations:

[1] https://www.opindia.com/2023/03/mian-mithu-pakistan-conversion-religious/

[2] https://hindupost.in/world/uk-sanctions-notorious-pak-sufi-cleric-mian-mithu-known-for-forced-conversions-marriages-of-minor-hindu-girls/

[3] https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/pakistan/

[4] http://www.currentriggers.com/blog/mian-mitho-sufi-pir-murder/

[5] https://www.opindia.com/2020/05/pakistan-minor-hindu-girl-abducted-and-forcibly-converted-to-islam-watch-how-influential-islamic-cleric-mian-mithoo-makes-her-embrace-islam/

[6] https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/pakistan-parliamentary-panel-rejects-anti-forced-conversion-bill20211014095737

[7] https://organiser.org/2023/03/06/163825/world/asia/south-asia/pakistan-mian-mithu-known-as-conversion-factory-invited-at-anti-conversion-seminar/

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEdd-5Fp3Qs

[9] https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/pakistan/

[10] https://www.dawn.com/news/1509740

[11] https://www.awazthevoice.in/world-news/pakistan-s-mian-mithu-caught-on-camera-converting-year-old-kavita-866.html

[12] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-hindu-womans-killing-india-calls-on-pakistan-to-protect-minorities-3648749

[13] https://www.ucanews.com/news/forced-conversions-a-religious-duty-in-pakistan/94292

[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpfeJ0_HhZc

[15] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/pakistan-must-protect-religious-freedom-for-hindus/

[16] https://www.aajenglish.tv/news/30269187

[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coerced_religious_conversion_in_Pakistan

[18] https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-hindus-protest-forced-conversions-girls-islam/3460692.html

[19] https://www.nation.com.pk/20-Mar-2016/mian-muthu-the-futurist-mian-mithu-what-is-your-take-on-mush-s-departure-well-if-ragners-and?show=756

[20] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/8/pakistans-top-rights-group-raises-alarm-on-religious-freedom

[21] https://tribune.com.pk/story/1742458/grand-democratic-alliance-denies-ticket-mian-mithu

[22] https://thewire.in/article/women/pakistans-silent-women-forcibly-converted-or-political-pawns

[23] https://www.aninews.in/news/world/europe/world-sindhi-congress-thanks-uk-for-sanctions-on-pak-cleric-accused-of-forced-conversions20221212133725

[24] https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/2022%20Pakistan%20Country%20Update.pdf

[25] https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/pakistans-mian-mithoo-muslim-cleric-behind-ghotki-riots-is-notorious-for-abduction-forced-conversion-of-hindu-girls

[26] https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/12/29/uk-islamic-conversion-cleric/

[27] https://minorityrights.org/2022/08/23/pakistan-forb-2022/

[28] https://theprint.in/opinion/mian-mithu-the-extremist-cleric-whom-hindu-families-dread-in-pakistans-sindh/292617/

[29] https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/02/what-vision-pakistan-has-conjured-for-religious-freedom-by-scraping-the-protection-of-the-rights-of-religious-minorities-bill/

[30] https://thewire.in/women/pakistans-silent-women-forcibly-converted-or-political-pawns

[31] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_Pakistan

[32] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/purifying-the-land-the-pure-history-pakistans-religious-minorities