Ahmadis Are Not Safe Even Within Their Houses of Worship
Escalating Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan: Police Illegally Seal Places of Worship
The persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan has reached a dangerous new level. Reports from local sources confirm that authorities are actively enabling the oppression of Ahmadis by bowing to extremist demands. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a peaceful religious minority that has long contributed to Pakistan’s social and economic fabric, continues to face systematic persecution and existential threats.
In Karachi, the police have unlawfully sealed Bait-ul-Nasir, an Ahmadi place of worship in Malir Colony, after succumbing to pressure from a violent extremist mob. The protestors, incited by religious hate-mongering, not only demanded the illegal closure of the mosque but also called for criminal charges against community members simply for practicing their faith. These acts have been caught on video[1] available on social media.
Instead of upholding the rule of law, the police collaborated with the aggressors, ordering Ahmadis to stay away from their own mosque. Without any formal legal directive, the police took it upon themselves to shut down a place of worship, further emboldening anti-Ahmadi hate campaigns online and inciting further violence.
The situation continues to deteriorate, with extremists now escalating their demands for the closure of Ahmadiyya worship places in Korangi and other regions. The Ahmadiyya community is urgently pursuing legal action to challenge this blatant violation of their fundamental rights.
The IHRC demands immediate action from the Government of Pakistan to hold accountable the police officers who illegally sealed the Ahmadiyya mosque without legal authorization, prosecute individuals and groups responsible for inciting hate speech and orchestrating these attacks, and implement strict measures against religious extremists who are fueling intolerance, violence, and the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims.
This brazen attack on religious freedom is a shameful reflection of Pakistan’s deepening crisis of intolerance. The international community must not remain silent as an entire religious minority is systematically denied the right to exist in peace.
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 call upon the Pakistani authorities to honor their international human rights commitments to protect religious freedom and promote religious tolerance towards the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
[1] Link to a video on social media: https://x.com/i/status/1891036184450642008
