Pak Hindus object to oath-taking of lawmaker accused of murdering Sikh leader

Peshawar, February 26

The Hindu community in Pakistan's Khyber Pakthunkhwa is protesting against the planned oath-taking ceremony of a member of the provincial assembly accused of murdering a Sikh lawmaker.

Baldev Kumar, who is in jail in the murder case of Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh, was to be produced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly today.

Speaker Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) Assembly Asad Qaisar today withdrew the Assembly Secretariat letter dated February 23 regarding production order of Kumar in the assembly today. Now he will take oath tomorrow.

Coordinator KP chief minister on Minorities Ravi Kumar described the oath-taking of Kumar as a sad day for the minorities of the province.

Haroon Sarab Diyal, the leader of Hindu community in the province, said the Hindus would protest if he was administered oath.

Singh, a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district of the province. Singh was elected to the provincial assembly on a minority seat.

His son Ajay yesterday appealed the provincial government not to bring the killer of his father in the provincial assembly for obtaining his vote for PTI Senate candidate in the upcoming Senate elections due for March 3.

Kumar, the second in the list of Tehreek-e-Insaf party's candidates for a reserved seat for minorities, has been facing a trial in the case. — PTI