Ahmadiyya Times
The government of Pakistan which claims to uphold freedom of speech brought cases against Ahmadiyya publications such as Misbah and Alfazl - Pakistan’s oldest daily Urdu newspaper , exclusively meant for Ahmadis.
Spokesman of Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Pakistan, Mr Saleem Ud Din, issued the annual report of persecution of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat for the year 2013. He said that the hatred and persecution against Ahmadis increased in the past year. Seven Ahmadis including three from the same family in Karachi, were killed sequentially merely on account of religious differences. Acts of persecution against the Ahmadiyya Jamaat are at their peak while the law enforcement agencies pander to the whims of the aggressors. Whether it is the desecration of Ahmadiyya mosques or the devastation of graves, the authorities align themselves with extremists rather than enact the law.
Saleemuddin said that the government has close dealings with extremists under the cover of discriminative legislation against the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. He said that the discriminative laws of 1984 go against the fundamental principles of human rights, the law of Pakistan and the philosophy of the nation presented by Quaid e Azam. These laws should be dissolved and the human rights of Ahmadis ought to be upheld. According to the spokesman, Ahmadies have faced political, social and legal discrimination since he promulgation of the notorious ordinance of 1984 which is contrary to the basic and equal rights of citizenship. He said that 237 Ahmadis have been killed since the Ordinance was passed while 193 attempted murders have taken place. 27 mosques have been demolished, 31 have been sealed by the authorities and 16 others have been illegally appropriated. 37 bodies exhumed after burial while burial of 61 dead bodies of Ahmadis were denied in common cemetry. Not only are the lives of Ahmadis are under constant threat they are afforded no peace in death either.
He said that with the assistance of the police opponents continued to efface Kalimas from Ahmadiyya mosques while Quranic verses were also removed from some houses. Similarly, various illegal operations were conducted, which were beyond the jurisdiction of the authorities. He said that a curtailment of the lawlessness in the country should be the top priority of law enforcement agencies, yet sadly it seems that they would rather spend their time harassing Ahmadies. Provocative literature, promoting the social and financial boycott as well as the murder of Ahmadies, is being distributed widely in the country, especially in Punjab and Sindh. Government silence on these issues suggests that these heinous acts have official backing.
The Ahmadiyya spokesman said that the religious freedom and human rights of Ahmadies were constantly impinged on over the course of the year. Ahmadies were even prevented from offering Eid prayer in Rawalpindi. Likewise other Ahmadiyya mosques in the country were also targeted by opponents. The government of Pakistan which claims to uphold freedom of speech brought cases against Ahmadiyya publications such as Misbah and Alfazl - Pakistan’s oldest daily Urdu newspaper , exclusively meant for Ahmadis.
According to the spokesman, Ahmadis were not allowed to hold any religious gatherings, or sports event in Rabwah, where 95% of the population is Ahmadi. Whereas the opponents were free to hold gatherings consisting of participants from outside Rabwah. Numerous Anti-Ahmadiyya organizations held such conventions in which they used abusive language against distinguished Ahmadies and publicly incited people to murder Ahmadis. No action was taken against them by the authorities.
The spokesman referring to injustices against Ahmadis in the field of education said that in the 1970’s the government nationalized educational institutes including Ahmadiyya ones. After this a policy was implemented to reprivatize these institutes, the community submitted a significant payment to retake control of their schools and colleges. However this was not ratified by the government from fear of reprisal. How long will such discrimination continue for?
The spokesman said that today sectarianism, violence and disorder is at its peak. It is necessary to figure out and understand that the current situation originates from the time when the government began to intrude in religious matters and enacted discriminative laws. It is time to eradicate all such legislation.
Those Pakistani’s who possess a sense of justice ought to insist that the government of Pakistan devise effective measures to eradicate sectarianism and bias so that our beloved Pakistan can tread the path of success and prosperity.
Press Release highlights:
Seven Ahmadies killed and 16 further murders attempted for nothing more than religious differences
Ahmadies deprived of the vote on account of discriminative election lists
Due to pressure from extremists, Ahmadis prosecuted under discriminative laws
Provocative literature, promoting the social and financial boycott as well as the murder of Ahmadis, widely distributed. Government silence suggest official patronage of these heinous acts
Neither mosques nor the cemeteries are free from the oppression of so called ulema and the representatives of government
According to the government’s policy regarding privatization, Ahmadiyya Jamaat has failed to retrieve its nationalized educational institutes. How long will the government impinge on the rights of Ahmadies from fear of opposition parties
During 2013, an increase in fabricated news stories published in the Urdu press. More than 1700 news reports and more than 394 articles appeared during the year depicting Ahmadis in a negative light
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