A NEW WAVE OF AHMADIYYA PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN 18 Jan 2021

For the last couple of years, the clerics and their followers in Pakistan have intensified their efforts in order to persecute Ahmadis and in this venture the law enforcement agencies and the Courts have become their allies.

Cybercrime cases:

Since 2019, four cases have been registered against Ahmadis in Cybercrime Wing, Lahore in which five Ahmadis are now behind bars. All these five Ahmadis are not granted bail. They are facing serious charges including the charge of defiling of Holy Quran which offence is punishable with sentence of life imprisonment.

Four out of five Ahmadis are life devotees (waqaf e zindagi) and from Chenab Nagar (Rabwah). Previously the Ahmadis living in Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) would consider to be safe, but Cybercrime Wing of FIA is trying to rope in Ahmadis from Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) including the office bearers of Ahmadiyya Community. In the case mentioned above many officials of community have been cited as accused and the authorities are planning to arrest them. Names of some of the officials of community have been enlisted in Exit Control List (ECL) on the orders of an Additional Sessions Judge from Lahore who had no such authority to enlist someone’s name on ECL. The same judge has refused bail pleas of Ahmadi accused without any lawful justification.

Blasphemy cases against Ahmadis:

Three Ahmadis from Bhoewal District Sheikhupura were sentenced to death in 2017 on false and fabricated allegations & their appeal is not being heard by the Lahore High Court.

One elderly woman is behind bar on allegations of blasphemy. She has been refused bail by Sessions Court despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence on record which suggests that so blasphemy has been committed by the lady.

One Ahmadi is in Faisalabad jail on blasphemy charges.

One teenager from Peshawar is in jail in similar allegations.

In Shaukat Abad, District Nankana Sahib the opponents of Ahmadis unauthorisedly entered in their worship place and then made a complaint to Police that Kalma is written inside the worship place. The Police instead of registering case against the trespassers, registered case against three Ahmadis for the offence of posing themselves as Muslims. Now the court of Magistrate has passed an order of charging them for the offence of defiling the Holy Quran (295-B, PPC) and blasphemy (295-C, PPC).

Case of defiling of Quran against Ahmadis:

Few days ago, a case has been registered against Ahmadis in province of Sindh for defiling the Holy Quran. One person is in jail and his bail request has been rejected.

Similar case has been registered against number of Ahmadis in Rajunpur and there is imminent apprehension of their arrest.

Overall situation of Ahmadis in Pakistan:

Now, in Pakistan the State and its organs have started penalising Ahmadis not for any act, rather they are roping in the Ahmadis just because of their beliefs. They cannot practice their religion even in private as they may be intruded upon by their opponents and they may be booked under different provisions of Penal Code and other laws including cyber laws and anti-terror laws and there is no chance of any relief from the courts who are now partner of crime against humanity.

We urge the European Parliament to impress upon the Government of Pakistan that all citizens enjoy equal citizen rights, including Freedom of Religion, as stipulated in the Constitution of Pakistan article 20 and United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 2, 18.

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