Graves of Ahmadiyya Muslims have once again been desecrated and vandalised in a “Malicious and Senseless” attack by the Punjab Police in Pakistan

Yet another violation of the Ahmadi Muslims’ human right to religious freedom occurred in Daska, Punjab Pakistan on 24th January 2024 at 10am, where the police desecrated the tombstones of Ahmadi graves.

The International Human Rights Committee has reported several times that a wave of bigotry against Ahmadiyya Muslims intensified in 2023, and this has continued in 2024, with police under high command orders desecrating Ahmadi graves and their tombstones.

The graveyard had a total of 101 graves, out of which 75 had a tombstone. The police desecrated 65 of these. The policemen said they had orders from Assistant Commissioner (AC) Daska, Anwar Ali Kanju. The deplorable act can be seen in this online video. AC Daska Anwar Ali Kanju has long been involved in Ahmadiyya persecution.

In a similar incident today, the police desecrated another Ahmadiyya graveyard in Bharoke, breaking tombstones and spraying black ink on them. The question arises: if the police itself is involved in such incidents, to whom should Ahmadis go for the assurance of their constitutional rights?

Once again, Pakistani authorities have committed crimes for which they are, under the law, tasked with punishing and preventing, an outright offence against the Rule of Law. It is time for the state to clarify what is their policy on the desecration of Ahmadiyya graveyards. The government must clarify under which laws the AC gave these orders.

Human rights groups have repeatedly expressed their deep concern over the lack of attention to the serious human rights violations perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya community around the world and called on the international community to step up efforts in bringing an end to the ongoing persecution of Ahmadis.

On July 13, 2021, UN human rights experts expressed their deep concern over the lack of attention to the serious human rights violations perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya community around the world and called on the international community to step up efforts in bringing an end to the ongoing persecution of Ahmadis.

We once again urge the international community to pressure the Government of Pakistan to honor its responsibility to provide protection to all its citizens, ensure freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis, and bring perpetrators of such vicious attacks to justice. The Government of Pakistan must also bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by Article 2, 18 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 25, 26.

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