Bengaluru: For a moment, forget what you are doing! Spare a thought for the persecuted minorities of Pakistan! 

In the latest episode of how Sikhs are subjugated in Pakistan, a Sikh politician of Pakistan - Radesh Singh Tony – has put out an appeal on twitter, seeking help. He was harassed by Islamic fundamentalists and as a consequence, fled the country. 

 

Tony is the Chairman of the Khalsa Peace and Justice Foundation and a human rights activist from Kyber Pakhtunkhwa. Interestingly, he had also unsuccessfully contested the general elections in Pakistan in 2018 as an independent candidate.

Fortunately, his heartrending calls have not fallen on deaf ears. 

SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh have also thrown their weight behind him. 

Amarinder Singh urged the Pakistan government to provide him safety as the Punjab CM knows very well that Sikhs are persecuted in Pakistan. 

Sources add that Tony had been a strong critic of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. 

Sadly, he was even threatened by Islamic zealots and even assaulted. 

Fearing for his life, Tony bid goodbye too Twitter and resettled in Lahore, taking his wife and three children with him, and leaving business and property behind. 

Tony’s plight reminds us of another politician who fled to India after being persecuted, in the immediacy of partition. 

Jogendra Nath Mondal was a law and labour minister in Pakistan. He had found a place in the cabinet of the then Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. But he resigned from his post because of the anti-Hindu bias prevalent in Pakistan and moved to India.

It is also interesting to note that Jogendra was also a Dalit leader during his times and was a strong advocate of partition.

But shortly after partition, Jogendra was allegedly ill-treated in Pakistan. He had also highlighted the fact that there were massive incidents of social injustice being perpetrated against non-Muslims.

So in the year 1950, he returned to his home state of Calcutta, after submitting his resignation to Liaquat Ali, highlighting the plight of Hindus.  

And once he returned to his home state, he didn’t stop working for the betterment of non-Muslims in Pakistan. 

This is precisely the reason why the Modi government has passed the CAA.