Pakistan’s former legislator Baldev Kumar seeks asylum in India

Baldev Kumar (43), along with his wife and two children came to India last month and is presently staying at Khanna in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.

When asked why he left his country and came to India, Mr. Kumar said, “the whole world is watching what is the situation in Pakistan now.

A former legislator of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Party on Tuesday sought political asylum in India as he “'fears for his life” in Pakistan.

Baldev Kumar, 43, who has been staying with his wife and two children at Khanna in Ludhiana district since last month, told reporters that he had come to India to take asylum as he felt his life was in danger in Pakistan.

“Minorities are under a great sense of fear in Pakistan. Recently a Sikh girl was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Punjab province. Such incidents are happening in Sindh and KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) as well. I fear for my life there and therefore I had left Pakistan,” he said.

“I have come here to seek asylum. I am staying in Khanna at my in-laws’ house and I request “Modi Sahib” [Prime Minister] to help me and my family..we feel secure here and don’t want to go back to Pakistan,” he said.

Mr. Kumar, former MLA of the Barikot seat in the KP Assembly, claimed that minorities in Pakistan were being deprived of their rights and people who raised their voice were being apprehended by the police or the army.

“I request Mr. Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to relax visa conditions so that people who are suffering in Pakistan can come and stay in India,” he said.

“We were hoping that the fate of Pakistan will change after Imran Khan took over as Prime Minister but sadly he has failed to deliver,” he said.