EDITORIAL
May 17, 2025
The brutal and distressing incident in Sargodha on Friday May 16 – when a 58-year-old doctor was gunned down while at work – does more than throw light at what is fast becoming a new trend. Across Pakistan, the Ahmadiyya community leaves their homes daily under the menacing shadow of extremism, a shadow that seems to lengthen with each passing minute.
And this shadow grows longer it seems every minute.
For a long time – January onwards, there have been growing threats, primarily disseminated by the hardline, far right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) whose presence is found wherever there are incidents of lynching over blasphemy, or any crime related to Ahmadis. TLP members have been pressuring the police to demolish minarets from Ahmadi ibadatgahs, saying these are ‘symbols of Islam’, and quoting 298-C. This law prohibits Ahmadis from trying to emulate Muslims.
TLP has also been pressuring police and local administration to break the gravestones of those Ahmadi graves where there are Quranic ayats. They have smeared black paint on such grave stones, they have taken it upon themselves to demolish them in the dark of the night – the most recent case took place almost a week ago in Khushab’s area of Roda where 90 graves were desecrated.
Last year four Ahmadis were killed by TLP elements. There have been countless incidents of hate-speech. The You Tube channels of TLP leaders and followers are brimming with anti-Ahmadi hate, verbally abusing them, calling them by derogatory names, and even inciting violence against them, including their women and children.
This year TLP was even more organized gathering outside places of worship each Friday, to try and pressure the police to stop Ahmadis from “performing Friday prayers”. In all the incidents they succeeded; the local police intervened, made the Ahmadis leave their place of worship, and many times also sealed the building. The act was later applauded on social media, where supporters of TLP spewed hatred towards the Ahmadis.
ABOVE: TLP and other anti-Ahmadi elements announce their ‘victory’ after an Ahmadi’s appeal is rejected by a Karachi court. The elderly man died in jail custody just last week.
What was once a disturbing trend – trampling on a community’s basic rights – that took place every Friday, is now graduating into a more violent form – from trampling on a community’s basic rights, to murder.
In all this time, the almost criminal silence on behalf of the government – both federal and provincial is appalling. They have not sent out any special teams to protect these places of worship, nor has anyone given any statement trying to quell the violence.
The very notion of fundamental human rights – the right to life, liberty, and security of person, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion – rings increasingly hollow in Pakistan, for the Ahmadiyya community.
These are not isolated incidents. The attacks on the Ahmadiyya community bear the chilling hallmarks of meticulous planning and organization. Reports consistently emerge of targeted assaults on their places of worship, their businesses, and even their homes. This systematic persecution, fueled by the TLP’s virulent ideology of religious intolerance, has created an environment where an entire community lives under constant threat.
We urgently appeal to the Federal Minister for Human Rights, the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to take immediate and decisive action. The escalating violence against the Ahmadiyya community demands more than just statements of condemnation – which also have not been heard. We implore the authorities to:
- Launch thorough and transparent investigations into the organized nature of these Friday attacks and bring all perpetrators, including those orchestrating them, to justice.
- Implement effective measures to protect Ahmadiyya places of worship and community members from further violence. This includes proactive security measures and a clear strategy to counter the TLP’s ability to incite hatred and violence.
- Review and reform laws and policies that contribute to discrimination against the Ahmadiyya community and ensure their equal rights as citizens of Pakistan are upheld in accordance with the Constitution and international human rights standards.
- Actively counter the hateful rhetoric and propaganda disseminated by the TLP by holding social media platforms accountable for allowing the spread of such dangerous content.
Beyond governmental action, a collective societal awakening is desperately needed. While there is silence on part of the authorities, there is also a fear among human rights activists, who are scared of speaking out for the Ahmadi community, because of the threats by TLP.
However we, as citizens, cannot succumb to this pressure at all times. We must reject the hateful rhetoric peddled by extremist groups, and show solidarity with the Ahmadiyya community, offering them not just words of sympathy but tangible support and a united front against those who seek to dehumanize and persecute them. Silence in the face of such blatant injustice is complicity.
The time for tepid responses is over. We must demand decisive action to dismantle the infrastructure of hate, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that every citizen of Pakistan can live without fear, practice their faith freely, and know that their fundamental human rights are not merely words on paper, but a lived reality. The relentless persecution must end.