October 12, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
The Ahmadi community has complained that the Gujranwala police destroyed the minarets at two of their places of worship between the nights of October 10 and 11.
“This happened despite the fact that a verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC) by Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh dated 10th April 2023, that none of the places of worship made before 1984 can be demolished,” said Amir Mehmood while speaking to Voicepk. “Worse, it happened by law enforcement. How long will the Punjab Police continue to violate the rights of Ahmadis under the pressure of extremists?
According to details, in the first incident, the place of worship located in the Gakhar Mandi area, built in 1953 was attacked by the police between the October 10 and 11. The Ahmadiyya community told Voicepk that the security in-charge of Gakhar Mandi brought around 10 to 15 policemen with him, and at around 1:15 am, they began demolishing its minarets.
At first they asked the local guard for the key to the place of worship however he refused. Upon his refusal, the policemen scaled the walls of the Ibadat Gah, and with the help of a ladder, broke open the door of the room adjacent to the main hall of the place of worship, dragged out some chairs and seated themselves in the middle of the courtyard. When they saw that there were security cameras installed, they also broke the lattice of the house adjacent to the place of worship, took possession of the DVR of the cameras, and turned off the lights. Then they proceeded to block the road by placing police cars on both sides. They broke the minaret and took the rubble with them.
The second incident took place in Mohlinke Chatha, soon after the first. Police demolished the minaret of a worship place constructed in 1954. At around 2:15 pm, six police officers came from the Ahmednagar Chitha police station, climbed onto the roof using a ladder, and began demolishing the minarets. Afterwards, they collected the debris, put them in their vehicle and took them along with them. They also detained a local from the Ahmadiyya community, confiscated his mobile and released him only after the process was carried out.
Speaking to Voicepk, Amir Mehmood, the spokesperson of the Ahmadiyya community, said that it had been some time since religious extremists had been pressuring the police, regarding the demolition of these places of worship. He said that even when locals reminded the police of the decision of the Lahore High Court they completely disregarded it and took illegal action.
Mehmood added that such incidents had been happening all over Pakistan where police were directly involved in the destruction of their places of worship. In some of the places, there was black ink smeared on their religious texts, or even gravestones.
“This is the fourth such incident in October where the police have destroyed Ahmadiyya places of worship,” he said. “Is the job of the police to please religious extremists? If the unjust demands of these extremists are met, they will never stop. The government must take immediate notice of the situation and take concrete steps to protect the lives and property of Ahmadis and their places of worship and graves.”
Previous incidents in Gujranwala in 2024
The harassment against Ahmadis has been happening since a long time in Gujranwala. During Eid-ul-Azha, Gujranwala police arrested an Ahmadi Dr. Tahir Ahmad and mistreated his family. The only crime he was charged under was raising a three-month-old pet goat. Police arrested him on 17 June.
Another Ahmadi, Zaheer Ahmad, of Khokharki, Gujranwala was illegally taken into custody by Jinnah Road Police station on Eid day without any arrest warrant or detention order.