HATEFUL RHETORIC AGAINST AHMADIYYA COMMUNITY IN PAKISTAN RESULTS IN TARGETED KILLING OF AHMADI MUSLIM MAN IN BAHAWALPUR
Recent incitement to violence and hatred against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has resulted in the death of an Ahmadi Muslim man in Haslipur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. On March 4, 2024, Tahir Iqbal, Local President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Bahawalpur, was shot twice and died immediately as a result of his injuries. He was A loyal citizen of Pakistan and had no issues or quarrels with anyone. He was on his morning walk when the murder took place.
In the recent wave of hatred and target killings against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan, religious clerics have claimed that Ahmadis deserve to be killed. In a video shared on social media, a religious cleric was seen calling for people to go out and attack Ahmadi Muslims. This rhetoric and hatred has contributed to widespread persecution against Ahmadi Muslims reaching Bahawalpur and resulting in the death of Tahir Iqbal.
The hatred against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Pakistan is an all-time high with persecution reaching every sphere of society. A country which was founded on principles of freedom of religion and belief for everyone is now demonstrating itself on a world stage of being a beacon of intolerance and religious extremism against minorities.
IHRC condemns this religiously motivated target killing in the strongest possible terms. We firmly urge the government of Pakistan to ensure that the assailant is put behind bars urgently and swift and fair judgement is served in this case.
We request your support, along with your friends and contacts, for a powerful action to call for Freedom of Religion and safeguard of Fundamental Human Rights from the government of Pakistan. The world should pressurise the Government of Pakistan to harness each and every culprit, who has been nurturing hatred and inciting violence resulting in the brutal target killing of Abdus Salam in front of his minor children and to bring swift and fair justice to the family of the murdered. This is utmost critical to save the image of Islam and the image of their own country, which they profess to be an Islamic democratic state.
There is an increase in faith-based attacks on Ahmadis residing all over Pakistan. Despite such incidents the government and law enforcement agencies have failed to protect members of the Ahmadiyya Community and in curbing the hate speech. This continuous persecution testifies to the utter disregard of the Community’s rights in Pakistan and creates a deep sense of insecurity within the Community.
The fact of the matter is that there is alarming increase in hate campaign activities against the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan. The killing and murder of Ahmadis has become the norm in Pakistan of which the government hardly takes any notice. Threats and attempts to kill Ahmadis have increased in virtually in every part of Pakistan.
These murders, attacks and threats have created a sense of deep insecurity amongst members of the community while the Ahmadis everywhere in Pakistan are living in a deep atmosphere of fear.
We keep the world community informed in the hope that it will take a stern view of these horrific acts of barbarism in Pakistan and assure the safety and security of law-abiding members of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan.
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 13 July 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 strongly urge the international community to impress upon the Government of Pakistan to honour its responsibility, to provide effective protection and freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis, that perpetrators of such vicious attacks should be brought to justice, and to bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by Article 20, United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 2, 18 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 25, 26.
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