September 28, 2023
Staff Report
LAHORE
- Attack on Ahmadiyya worship place on Tuesday in 55/2L District Okara
- The alleged involvement of police in an attack on a worship place in Kalsiyan, District Sheikhupura
- Threats given by religious critics to an Ahmadi Superintendent of Police in Mandi Bahauddin on Wednesday
SHEIKHUPURA
In Kalsiyan, District Sheikhupura on Tuesday during the night, miscreants attacked and desecrated an Ahmadiyya place of worship. Although the worship place was built before 1984, the minaret were allegedly destroyed by the police themselves, say the community members.
According to sources of the Ahmadiyya community, a pattern was being followed in Punjab, where the police show they are overpowered by threats from the religious extremists and at first they approach community members to break down their worship places themselves or there would be havoc by the miscreants. But upon the community’s refusal to do so, the police allegedly carry out the vandalism themselves.
OKARA
In a similar yet different event, the Ahmadiyya place of worship in 55/2L District Okara faced the same fate as unknown miscreants desecrated the said place of worship by partially destroying its arch. Once again the attack was carried out in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Read more: A wave of attacks on Ahmadiyya worship places
The Ahmadiyya community’s spokesperson, Amir Mehmood, asserts that authorities are flagrantly violating the decisions of the Superior Courts, despite having been presented with the rulings of both the Supreme Court and Lahore High Court (LHC).
The LHC on August 31 unequivocally ruled that Ahmadiyya places of worship built before this ordinance are legally protected, and any alterations or demolitions are prohibited.
Read more: Structure of Ahmadi worship places built before 1984 cannot be demolished: LHC
MANDI BAHAUDDIN
In yet another incident an Ahmadi police officer – Superintendent of Police in Mandi Bahauddin – was threatened for his life by the local religious clerics associated with Tehreek e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) on Wednesday.
In a video being circulated on social media, a man named Naeem Chatha Qadri is seen inciting violence against an Ahmadi SP appointed in the city of Mandi Bahauddin.
While speaking to a crowd in a religious gathering, Chatha said,
“I am giving the message to the agencies who are here to listen to me that if that SP is needed then it is better to get him posted somewhere else, otherwise he cannot be here in our presence. Either he will be here or we will be here.”
Referring to the murder of the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, Chatha spewed hate against the SP.
“A ghazi will be born again and when that happens it will leave you wondering what happened… you will say earlier they killed a governor now an SP, ” said Chatha.
Attempts were made to speak to the Mandi Bahauddin police but no response was given.
These incidents add to the long list of attacks carried out against the Ahmadiyya community in the past nine months.