Lahore, Oct 14: Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province have demolished the minarets of two 70-year-old Ahmadi places of worship, allegedly under pressure from religious extremists, the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP) said on Monday.
The demolitions happened in Khanewal and Gujranwala, located approximately 350 km and 80 km from Lahore respectively.
“In both Khanewal and Gujranwala, the police, acting under pressure from religious extremists, demolished the minarets of Ahmadi places of worship and covered the sacred inscriptions with cement,” JAP senior official Amir Mahmood told PTI. He added that both the worship places were built in the early 1950s.
Mahmood highlighted that Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh of the Lahore High Court, in a ruling on August 31, 2023, had clearly stated that damaging Ahmadi places of worship constructed before 1984 is illegal. The court explicitly ruled that the law enacted in 1984 does not apply to such places of worship, and any act of demolition or damage would be unlawful.
“We presented the Lahore High Court’s order to the police, but it was ignored. The police claimed they were under immense pressure from religious elements,” Mahmood said, emphasising the blatant violation of the court’s order.
The JAP condemned the police’s actions as illegal and an abuse of power. “Ahmadis, who are loyal citizens, are being discriminated against to appease extremists. By yielding to pressure from religious factions, the authorities are violating the rights of Ahmadis. Their places of worship and cemeteries continue to be desecrated,” the organisation stated, calling on the government to take immediate action and ensure the protection of the human rights of all citizens and communities.
The JAP further criticised the police for failing to protect the Ahmadis’ basic rights, instead acting under the influence of extremists.
“The extremists will never be satisfied. If one illegal demand is met, they will only make two more. The state must take firm steps to guarantee the safety, security, and sanctity of the lives, properties, and places of worship of the peaceful Ahmadi community across Pakistan,” the statement said.
Last month, Ahmadi cemeteries in various parts of Punjab were also desecrated, with police and members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) blackening sacred inscriptions on gravestones by painting over them.
In Pakistan, religious extremists are allegedly ramping up their hateful campaigns against Ahmadis, leading to increasing harassment at workplaces, job dismissals, and public calls for boycotting Ahmadi shopkeepers. (PTI)
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