Pakistani police demolish Ahmadi places of worship
Lahore: Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province have demolished the minarets of two 70-year-old houses of worship for the Ahmadiyya sect, allegedly under pressure from religious fundamentalists, the Pakistani Ahmadiyya community said on Monday. This demolition took place in Khanewal and Gujranwala. “In both Khanewal and Gujranwala, the police, under pressure from religious fundamentalists, demolished the minarets of Ahmadi places of worship and covered the holy inscriptions with cement,” Amer Mahmood, a senior AKP official, told PTI.
What is the court’s decision?
Amer Mahmoud said that both houses of worship were built in the 1950s. Mahmood said that Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh of the Lahore High Court had clearly stated in his order dated August 31, 2023 that it is illegal to damage places of worship of the Ahmadi community built before 1984. The court clearly ruled that the 1984 law does not apply to these places of worship. Any act of vandalism or damage will be illegal.
What did the police say?
Alleging blatant violation of the court order, Mehmood said: “We showed the Lahore High Court order to the police, but it was ignored. The police claimed that they were under immense pressure from religious elements. JAP condemned the police action, calling it illegal and a violation of rights.”
The Ahmadi community is subjected to harassment
In Pakistan, religious fundamentalists are reportedly intensifying their hate campaign against members of the Ahmadi community, leading to increased workplace harassment, firing from their jobs, and public calls for a boycott of Ahmadi shopkeepers. (language)
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