Baldev Kumar (main picture), a former legislator from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has sought asylum in India for himself and his family. Kumar, a former member of the provincial assembly from the minority-reserved Barikot seat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is currently in Khanna, in the Indian state of Punjab, where his in-laws reside.

The 43-year-old politician is in India on a three-month visa for medical treatment of his 12-year-old daughter who is a Thalassemia major patient.

Read more: Kartarpur corridor: Can India and Pakistan bring down their 'Berlin Wall'?

Kumar alleges that Pakistan is an "unsafe country" and that Imran Khan-led government mistreats minorities there. In a DW interview, Kumar spoke of his concerns for Pakistan's Sikh community, particularly those residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the semi-autonomous tribal region that shares a border with Afghanistan.

DW: Have you taken a big risk by seeking asylum in India? What prompted you to take this decision?

Baldev Kumar: There are many Sikhs in Pakistan who are worried about their safety and their families. I took a risk, but a calculated one, and that is why I planned my escape from Pakistan. My brothers were worried if I would make the journey successfully, and that I could get killed.

I took the gamble and it paid off. I hope this journey is worthwhile and will highlight the plight of other Sikh families.

Since Imran Khan became Pakistan's prime minister, things have turned worse. He is a mere puppet following instructions. He has failed to deliver. Security has become a major concern for many minority communities there, and abductions and forced conversions have only heightened the climate of fear.

Kumar: 'Since Imran Khan became Pakistan's prime minister, things have turned bad'

Did you leave Pakistan because you were accused of involvement in a murder case?

That is not true. In 2016, Suran Singh, the then special adviser to chief minister and a member of the provincial assembly, was assassinated. I wrongly faced charges of involvement in this murder case and was subsequently acquitted in 2018.

I don't know what his family members think of me, but I have been cleared by the court. In fact, the government owes me remuneration for two years. The speaker's office is withholding my arrears without reason.

Read more: Why are Pakistani Shiites 'disappearing'?

What have you witnessed that substantiates your fears that Sikhs and other minorities live in fear in Pakistan?

The Sikh population in Pakistan is declining. The number of Sikhs in the country has come down drastically, from about 50,000 two decades ago to around 8,000 now.

A lot of things happening in the country, like forced conversions, do not get the publicity they deserve. Only recently, on September 3, a Sikh girl was allegedly abducted and converted to Islam in Pakistan's Sindh province. She was the daughter of a "granthi" (priest). This was the second incident of forced conversion within a week. Such incidents are happening in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. I fear for my life there and therefore I've left Pakistan.

What do you think of the Kartarpur Corridor, which is supposed to allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit Kartarpur Sahib shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province?

It is a good idea and I hope it happens. But I have a feeling that politics might ruin this good proposal. The project will link Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab's Gurdaspur district to Kartarpur in Pakistan's Narowal district.

It would be great if both sides could reach a deal on the corridor by the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak [the founder of the Sikh religion]. But we have to wait and see.

What is your next course of action?

I humbly request Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to relax visa conditions so that people who are suffering in Pakistan can come to India and stay here. It is extremely worrying what is happening there and I want to highlight the problems being faced by the people.

I sincerely hope I will be allowed to stay in India. There is no way I can return to Pakistan. I simply cannot and do not want to. I need asylum in India.

Baldev Kumar is a former legislator from Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party who represented the Barikot constituency in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly.

The interview was conducted by Murali Krishnan.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Harsh penalties In Pakistan, it is illegal to drink, eat or even smoke in public during Ramadan. You can be sent to jail, heavily fined, or may even be beaten by vigilantes. Earlier this month, the country's lawmakers introduced stricter penalties that could see people jailed for up to three months for a violation.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism 'This is not Islam' Bakhtawar Bhutto, the daughter of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was quick to condemn the latest amendment, dubbing the law "ridiculous." "Not everyone in Pakistan will be fasting - children in school, the elderly, people with medical issues - Should we arrest them for drinking water?" tweeted Bhutto. "People are going to die from heat stroke and dehydration with this ridiculous law."

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Obliged to fast "A person who, according to the tenets of Islam, is under an obligation to fast shall not eat, drink or smoke in a public place during fasting hours in the month of Ramadan," says the Ehtiram-e-Ramadan (Respect for Ramadan) law, which was introduced by the military dictator Zia-ul-Haq in 1981.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Austerity and peity Theologically, Ramadan is about austerity. It teaches Muslims to be pious, to stay away from evil, to fast during the day, and to donate money to the poor. "Zakat" (which means alms-giving in Arabic) is an Islamic tradition in which Muslims give part of their earnings to those in need, particularly during this holy month.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Unbearably hot weather The Islamic month of Ramadan coincides with sweltering temperatures in most Muslim-majority countries. In 2015, a brutal heat wave killed over 1,250 people in Pakistan - many of them died of dehydration while fasting. Even then, the government did not relax the 36-year-old law. Some clerics did, however, say it was permissible to break the Ramadan fast for health reasons.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism No respite Nearly all restaurants are closed from fajr (dawn) until maghreb (dusk), and shopkeepers only sell takeaway food items. If you are hungry or thirsty the only place for you is home. At offices - both public and private - you are not allowed to eat.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Rising religious extremism With the war in Afghanistan and growth of Islamist organizations such as the Taliban in the region, things have taken a turn for the worse in the past few years. Religious extremism and intolerance are on the rise in the South Asian Islamic country. At the same time, Ramadan is also an opportunity for extremist and militant outfits to rake in cash through charity donations.

Forced piety - Pakistan's Ramadan law and vigilantism Vigilantism Incidents of religious vigilantism have spiked in the past few years, with fanatic mobs trying to enforce their own version of Shariah. A number of people have been lynched on unproven accusations of blasphemy. Observers say the existence of various Islamic laws has emboldened radicals to take matters into their own hands and dole out "justice" to what they deem un-Islamic. (shs)



Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.