Criminalization of Ahmadi Muslim Worship in Private Homes under Genocidal Blasphemy Laws in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kotli, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, has issued a legal notice to Ahmadi Muslim citizens for offering Friday (Jummah) prayers within their own private residences. The notice, dated August 4, 2025, accuses the Ahmadi community of violating Pakistan Penal Code Sections 298-B and 298-C, laws which specifically target and criminalize Ahmadi religious identity and practices.
This action represents a new escalation in the systemic persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, amounting to religious apartheid, criminalization of faith, and a campaign of social and spiritual extermination. It demonstrates that Ahmadis are now not even safe in the privacy of their own homes—and may face imprisonment simply for offering prayers to their God.
Incident Overview
According to the legal summons issued (see attached notice), Ahmadis residing in a village within District Kotli were reported for offering Jummah prayers at home. Instead of protecting their constitutional and international rights to religious freedom and privacy, the local magistrate has chosen to invoke blasphemy laws to initiate criminal proceedings.
Link to social media: https://x.com/faith_defence/status/1952798516033605878
PPC 298-B and 298-C are apartheid-style provisions that:
- Prohibit Ahmadis from “posing as Muslims” or practicing Islamic rituals
- Make prayer, the Islamic greeting (“Assalamu Alaikum”), and calling their worship places “mosques” punishable by law
- Carry potential imprisonment sentences of up to 3 years
Legal & Human Rights Violations
The following rights under international human rights law are being flagrantly violated:
- ICCPR Article 18: Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
Pakistan, a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), is obligated to guarantee every individual’s right to practice their religion freely—including in private settings.
- UDHR Article 18
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly protects the right to manifest one’s religion “in teaching, practice, worship and observance”—including in private homes.
- Genocide Convention
The persistent targeting, exclusion, and criminalization of the Ahmadiyya faith group—paired with state complicity—meets the early warning signs of religious genocide, including:
- Systematic destruction of worship spaces
- Legal bans on faith rituals
- Arrests for prayer
- Desecration of graves
- Incitement to violence by extremist groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) with no state accountability
Pattern of Persecution
This legal notice is part of a growing pattern in 2025 alone:
- Dozens of Ahmadi mosques sealed or demolished
- Arrests for Eid, Jummah, funeral prayers
- Grave desecrations
- Charity work criminalized
- TLP openly inciting genocide without legal consequences
The Pakistani state apparatus, through laws, courts, police, and bureaucratic orders, is enforcing a system of faith apartheid and spiritual annihilation.
Demands to the Government of Pakistan
We demand the Government of Pakistan and the Azad Jammu & Kashmir administration:
- Immediately revoke this legal notice
- Cease criminal proceedings against the Ahmadi individuals in Kotli
- Repeal PPC Sections 298-B and 298-C, which are in breach of international human rights law
- Prosecute hate-inciting clerics and extremist actors, especially from groups like TLP
- Ensure constitutional protections and equal citizenship for all religious minorities
Urgent Appeal to the International Community
We urge:
- The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to issue a statement and launch an inquiry
- The U.S. State Department to re-designate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act
- The European Union to suspend GSP+ trade privileges if blasphemy law abuse continues
- All international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to amplify this case as a testament to state-led persecution
Conclusion
The Kotli legal notice is not just a local administrative act—it is a signpost of institutional religious cleansing. It shatters any pretense of religious freedom in Pakistan and lays bare a system where Ahmadis are hunted even within the walls of their homes for practicing their faith.
This is not blasphemy—it is genocide disguised as law.
END
