Chandigarh, January 23, 2020: A minority rights activist and Sikh leader of Pakistan, Radesh Singh Tony has fled the country along with his family after getting threats to his life.
He was active in politics and had contested local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and won but he resigned his seat to contest general elections in 2018 but lost.
Tony had moved to Lahore from Peshawar a few weeks ago after he said he was assaulted by group of men.
Talking to journalist Ravinder Singh Robin, Tony said he would seek asylum in India.
He is on Islamist extremists’ radar and has received threats a number of times. He had also deleted all his social media accounts because of the threats he received.
Tony has been a vocal critic of the Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and has highlighted the worsening law and order situation in the country.
The Sikh community in Pakistan is facing severe hardships ranging from abduction and forced conversions of Sikh girls to attack on religious sites included the recent attack on Nankana Sahib Gurdwara, which is the birthplace of Guru Nanak.