Targeted on Fridays: Genocidal Intimidation, Mosque Sealing, and Religious Apartheid Against Ahmadiyya Muslims Intensify in Pakistan
Another Friday. Another Attack. A Pattern of Terror.
On July 11, 2025, yet another Friday, Ahmadiyya Muslim worshippers in Pakistan were targeted in a coordinated escalation of violence by members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a known extremist group responsible for orchestrating mob terror under the guise of religious sanctity.
As is becoming a sinister pattern this year, Fridays — when Ahmadis gather for congregational prayers — are being exploited by extremist actors to carry out organized, hate-fueled attacks. Two such incidents occurred on this day: in Ralioke (Sialkot) and Samanabad (Lahore). These incidents underscore the state’s inability, or refusal, to protect the Ahmadiyya community from religiously motivated violence.
Sialkot: Mosque Attacked – Another Bait-ul-Zikr Under Siege
In Ralioke, District Sialkot, the Ahmadiyya Bait-ul-Zikr — a historical worship place built in 1963, before anti-Ahmadi ordinances or constitutional amendments — was violently attacked by a TLP-led mob during Friday prayers.
The attackers falsely claimed that the mosque’s arch and minaret resembled those of a Muslim mosque, and aimed to destroy these features. The structure itself bears a clear sign reading: “Bait-ul-Zikr Ahmadiyya, Constructed 1963,” establishing its legal and historical identity. This did not deter the mob.
Stones were hurled. CCTV cameras were vandalized. Amid the chaos, one attacker was injured, reportedly by his own associates. The Ahmadi worshippers inside were forced to shelter in fear.
Although police eventually arrived at the scene, their response remained passive and inadequate. As the crowd of extremists grew, the authorities failed to assert control or disperse the mob, reflecting the state’s habitual deference to religiously charged violence.
Lahore: Ahmadis Detained, Mosque Sealed, While the Mob Walks Free
In a separate but equally disturbing incident, the Bait-ul-Hamd Mosque in Samanabad, Lahore, was surrounded by a hostile crowd of TLP supporters. Approximately 70 Ahmadis were trapped inside the mosque as tensions escalated.
Instead of protecting the victims, the police forcefully detained the Ahmadis. They were removed in police vans and taken to the local police station. The mosque itself was sealed under pressure from the mob.
This perverse inversion of justice — where victims are criminalized while attackers are left untouched — exemplifies Pakistan’s de facto apartheid system when it comes to Ahmadi Muslims. Not a single member of the violent mob was arrested or held accountable.
A Pattern of Genocidal Apartheid
These attacks are not isolated incidents. They represent a systemic, coordinated, and state-complicit campaign of genocidal intimidation and religious apartheid. TLP’s repeated use of Friday congregations as soft targets, combined with police complicity and prosecutorial silence, sends a clear signal: the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community is tolerated — even encouraged — by those in power.
The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) Demands Immediate Global Action
We urgently call on:
- The United Nations, European Union, United States, and United Kingdom to intervene in defense of the Ahmadiyya community.
- Human rights organizations, faith leaders, and legal bodies to publicly condemn and document these abuses.
- Governments to pressure Pakistan diplomatically and economically until it guarantees equal protection for all its citizens.
We demand:
- Immediate protection for all Ahmadiyya places of worship in Pakistan.
- Legal accountability for police and officials enabling or ignoring mob violence.
- International sanctions and terror designation against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
- Full repeal of Pakistan’s discriminatory anti-Ahmadi laws.
Pakistan must not be allowed to descend further into a religious apartheid state where minorities are hunted, detained, and erased — one Friday at a time.
