Pakistan: Continuing desecration of Ahmadi Mosques by Police and Extremists
In Kakhonwali Sialkot, police again demolish minarets of an Ahmadiyya Mosque
According to information received by the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC), an opponent of Ahmadiyya Muslims named Sajjad on 25th October demanded that the minaret and the niche of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque should be demolished. Upon this the SHO Phulora Police Station called the Ahmadiyya delegation, who arrived at the village as well. Officials were informed about the stance of the Ahmadiyya Community that this Worship Place was constructed in 1980, and it was constructed before the ordinance.
“In a ruling on April 10, 2023, in the case of Imran Hamid v. the State (Criminal Case No. 5151/B/2023), LHC Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh declared that places of worship built before 1984 cannot be demolished or altered.”
In disregard of these facts, on the night of November 25 and 26, 2024 the SHO of Phulora Police Station, accompanied by 35 Policemen arrived at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque, and carried out an illegal operation by demolishing the minarets of an Ahmadiyya Mosque and took away the debris with them. A video[1] of the aftermath is available on social media.
Pictures: Police in Sialkot demolished the minarets of an Ahmadiyya Mosque in Kakhonwali on the night of November 25-26, 2024.
Desecration of the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Chak No. 27 J-B, district Faisalabad Pakistan.
On November 26, 2024, extremists assaulted an Ahmadi worship site in Faisalabad, tearing down the minarets and domes.
At approximately 11 am, extremists attacked the Ahmadiyya place of worship situated at Chak No. 27, JB Faisalabad. Twenty extremists arrived on motorcycles, broke the locks, and forcibly entered the Mosque site, destroying the mihrab. Some climbed onto the roof, demolishing the minaret and damaging the dome. A video[2] of the aftermath of the incident can be seen on social media.
These assailants were armed. As they carried out their actions, residents gathered in an attempt to intervene. When confronted, the assailants claimed to be law enforcement officials. After their destructive actions, they fled the scene.
Pictures: On November 26, 2024, extremists assaulted an Ahmadi worship site in Faisalabad, tearing down the minarets and domes.
The IHRC condemns unlawful actions of the police in the Kakhonwali district of Sialkot, as well as the attack by Extremists on the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Faisalabad’, which resulted in the destruction of the minaret and dome.
IHRC request the Government of Pakistan to take legal action against the police officials and Extremists responsible for the illegal demolition of the Mihrab of the Ahmadiyya Mosque and also for a strict action on the extremist elements who attacked Ahmadiyya Muslims homes and Mosque to be brought to justice.
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.
In July 2024, a group of top UN Human Rights experts including UN Special Rapporteurs urged an “immediate end to discrimination and violence against Ahmadis in Pakistan, citing documented evidence of “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, attacks on places of worship and curtailment of free expression, peaceful assembly and association.” Apparently, their pleas fell on deaf ears.
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.
