Legalized Apartheid: Ahmadi Lawyers Segregated in Bar Council Canteen
Shameful Resolution at Bahawalnagar Bar Council Seeks Segregation of Utensils Based on Faith
The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) expresses its strongest condemnation of the appalling and discriminatory resolution submitted by members of the District Bar Association in Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. This resolution demands the segregation of utensils used by Ahmadi Muslims, citing religious grounds, and shamefully dehumanizes a peaceful, law-abiding religious community.
This grotesque proposal—bearing multiple signatures from practicing lawyers—is a blatant endorsement of faith-based apartheid. It is an affront not only to the dignity of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, but also to the core principles of humanity, justice, and the rule of law. Such segregation is reminiscent of the darkest chapters of racial and religious discrimination in modern history.
This alarming development is not an isolated event. It reflects a growing and deliberate normalization of hate, exclusion, and humiliation against Ahmadis in Pakistan, who are already stripped of basic civil rights. From banning their religious practices, erasing their identity, to targeting them during sacred religious observances—the state and its institutions have repeatedly failed to uphold constitutional guarantees.
That members of the legal community, who are supposed to be custodians of justice, would stoop to such inhumanity, shows just how deeply this state-sanctioned bigotry has taken root.
We have repeatedly reminded the Government of Pakistan and once again remind them and the Punjab Bar Council that:
- The Constitution of Pakistan (Article 20) guarantees freedom of religion.
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—to which Pakistan is a party—explicitly prohibits religious discrimination under Articles 2, 18, 25, and 26.
- Segregation of utensils and spaces on the basis of religion is a textbook case of apartheid and religious persecution.
We call upon:
- The Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association to immediately denounce this action and take disciplinary action against all those involved in this vile act of bigotry.
- The Government of Pakistan to end its silence and bring national laws in line with international human rights standards.
- The international legal community and bar associations worldwide to speak out and sever ties with any professional bodies that endorse or remain complicit in this persecution.
- The United Nations and global human rights organizations to launch independent investigations into systemic religious apartheid in Pakistan.
The IHRC stands firm in solidarity with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This relentless persecution must end.
Original Document: https://x.com/faith_defence/status/1910002826203312134?s=46&t=qJrK62IRsj8eXEilMTXPBA
