State of the minorities in Pakistan - Top Ahmadi muslim Leader Gets Killed By Radicals; Prosecutor Wants Christians To Convert

By Manas Sen Gupta 

A senior advocate of the Ahmadi (Ahmadiyya) community was shot dead on Thursday morning in Nankana Sahib. On the other hand, a public prosecutor tried to blackmail Christians accused of lynching to death two Muslim men to convert to avoid conviction.

This is the state of the minorities in Pakistan.

The leader of the Ahmadi community was Malik Saleem Latif, a relative of Pakistan’s first Nobel laureate Abdus Salam.

Latif was also a leader of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya. Pakistani media says that he was shot by terrorist from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) while on his way to the court along with his son, advocate Farhan.

In their statement, the LeJ said that Latif was targeted for “spreading Ahmadi beliefs”.

It should be noted that Ahmadis are officially not recognized as Muslims in Pakistan. The Ordinance XX of the Pakistan was created to discriminate and victimize the Ahmadis.

Ahmadi community members pointed out that thousands of hate-filled advertisements were published against the community in local and national dailies.

Meanwhile in Lahore, Christian rights activist Joseph Franci accused Deputy District Public Prosecutor (DDPP) Syed Anees Shah of trying to proselytize around 42 Christians.

The Christians are accused of lynching two men suspected of having a hand in the 2015 suicide blasts in predominantly Christian neighborhood of Youhanabad in Lahore.

“He told them if they embrace Islam, he can guarantee them their acquittal in this case,” Franci told the Pakistani media. Reports that the public prosecutor conceded that he offered them a choice.

The fact is that minorities in Pakistan are killed or forced to convert on a daily basis in Pakistan.

The influential fundamentalists in the country are able to carry out their nefarious agenda against the minorities with impunity as the state continues to look the other way.

It is because of this victimization that Dr Abdus Salam was forced to flee the country and live in United Kingdom. Sadly, a large section of Pakistan’s society stands in support of religious bigots.