Another Ahmadi Muslim, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad victim of target killing in Lahore

Today, on 7th April an Ahmadi Muslim Doctor, Mr Ashfaq Ahmad was killed in Sabzazar, Lahore. He was on his way to offer Friday prayers with his grandson and another person. When his car slowed down, a person wearing a helmet approached him on his bike and shot him. He died on the spot. The other 2 persons remained unharmed. Dr Ashfaq Ahmad was 68 years old and was an active member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

This is the second attack in 10 days. On 30th March another prominent local leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and a relative of Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, Advocate Malik Saleem Latif, was gunned down in Nankana Sahib.

Background:

In 1974 Prime Minister Bhutto enacted an amendment to the constitution declaring Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. In the 1980s, measures brought in by Zia-ul-Haq to Islamicise Pakistan’s civil and criminal law. It became a criminal offence for Ahmadis to call themselves or ‘pose’ as Muslims. Any such crime would face 3 years’ imprisonment, or if dealt with under the blasphemy laws it could result in death. Since then, many Ahmadi Muslims have been killed and persecuted.