Religious persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues worldwide. In Pakistan, Blasphemy Laws are being used specially against Ahmadis to harass them. Millions of religious minority are under threat to be falsely implicated in any such case on the basis of personal enmity with a punishment from 3 years RI to death. This blog was created to update Pakistani visitors of www.thepersecution.org, access to which was blocked by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority without any reason.
Hatred against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan continues to spread and leads to such tragic incidents
It is with great sadness that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat hereby confirms that on 11 July 2011, a well-known and respected Ahmadi lawyer, Mr Malik Mabroor Ahmad (50), was martyred in Nawab Shah, Sindh.
At approximately 8.15pm local time, Malik Mabroor Ahmad was shot point blank near his office by an unidentified gunman. Upon hearing the gunfire, the brother of the deceased, Malik Waseem Ahmad, rushed to the scene, however by the time he had arrived Malik Mabroor Ahmad had already passed away.
Malik Mabroor Ahmad was a peaceful and law abiding citizen and a renowned lawyer. He is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters.
The spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Abid Khan said:
“Hatred against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan continues to spread and leads to such tragic incidents. Hatred and persecution of any organisation or group must be condemned by all those who believe in tolerance and love for humanity. Such attacks serve only to destabilise society and to spread discord.”
Malik Mabroor Ahmad was very well respected amongst the local community and was known for his kindness. He served the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat with great distinction throughout his life.
A number of prominent Ahmadi Muslims have been martyred in Sindh Province over the past few years but those responsible have not been brought to justice and remain at large.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat calls on the international community and media to highlight the continued persecution of minorities in Pakistan. If such hatred and sectarianism is allowed to continue then it is inevitable that further tragedies will occur.
22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL UK
Tel/Fax: 020 8544 7613 Mob: 077954 90682
Email: press @ ahmadiyya.org.uk
Press Secretary AMJ International
Rana Zafarullah of Sanghar, Sindh Province was martyred outside of his home
It is with great sadness that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat hereby confirms that on 18th March 2011, Mr Rana Zafarullah (39) of Sanghar, Sindh Province was martyred outside of his home.
On the day of the attack, Rana Zafarullah was returning from a local Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat event and when he reached his home two unknown persons on a motorcycle were waiting for him. They immediately started firing at him and he received at least 3 bullets to his face. The assailants immediately fled the scene. Rana Zafarullah was severely injured and passed away en-route to hospital.
The deceased was martyred solely for the reason that he was an Ahmadi Muslim. He was very well respected amongst the local community and was known for his kindness. He served the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat with great distinction and at the time of his passing he held a number of offices within the community.
The deceased is survived by his wife, his two young daughters (3years and 1year), his mother and his two brothers. He is the 205th Ahmadi Muslim to be martyred in Pakistan since anti-Ahmadi laws came into force in Pakistan in 1984.
In response to this latest martyrdom, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“May Allah elevate the status of Rana Zafarullah in heaven and may He protect his wife and children and grant them patience at this time.
This is the fifth martyrdom to take place in Sanghar in recent history. It is a relatively small Jamaat but it terms of its sacrifices it is amongst the very highest. May Allah protect all Ahmadi Muslims in that region.”
22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL UK
Tel/Fax: 020 8544 7613 Mob: 077954 90682
Email: press @ ahmadiyya.org.uk
Press Secretary AMJ International
US Citizen Killed in Religiously Motivated Attack in Pakistan
Pir Habib al-Rehman becomes second Ahmadi Muslim killed in Pakistan this week
It is with great sadness and regret that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat hereby confirms that a well-known and loved Ahmadi Muslim, Pir Habib al-Rehman (60) was martyred earlier today near Sanghar in Sindh Province.
According to details currently available Pir Habib-al-Rehman was on his way to his farm when two masked assailants approached his vehicle and shot him twice. One of the shots fired was directly at his head. He was rushed to hospital by his nephew and three labourers who were with him at the time, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The perpetrators of the crime immediately fled the scene and remain unidentified.
Pir Habib al-Rehman was a US citizen and had been in Pakistan on personal business. Thus he is the second US citizen in two years to be martyred for being an Ahmadi. In September 2008 Dr Abdul Mannan Siddiqi, also a US citizen, was brutally killed in Mirpurkhas.
Pir Habib al-Rehman was a kind and humble man who harbored no enmity against anyone. He was 60 at the time of his death and is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. In 2006 his brother, Dr Pir Mujeeb al –Rehman, was also martyred for being an Ahmadi Muslim.
The deceased was actively involved with the work of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and performed great service, in particular, to the development and maintenance of the Jamaat’s official website ‘Alislam.org’.
The Press Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Abid Khan said:
“The murder of Pir Habib al-Rehman has caused great sadness to all Ahmadis around the world. This incident follows on from the martyrdom of Dr Najam al-Hasan also in Sindh just a couple of days ago. Such violence results from the continuing hatred that is spread throughout Pakistan against our Community. We call upon the international community and media to take notice of the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan.”
22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL UK
Tel/Fax: 020 8544 7613 Mob: 077954 90682
Email: press @ ahmadiyya.org.uk
Press Secretary AMJ International
My piece of last week was more a personal journey in time: remembering old friends and recalling a time when there was no distinction between Sunnis and Shias and Ahmadis and Bohris and Aga Khanis and what have you, each worshipping his God in his own way, but all equal citizens of the state. — Reuters Photo
I have to start with the drama fast unfolding in the honourable Supreme Court, and the reaction to it that one meets on the street and on the Internet.
I wonder how conversant My Lords are with cyberspace, especially when one sees the utter abandon with which the Lahore High Court first ordered Facebook banned and a few days later restored.
In the interim Pakistan was made to look like a foolish country with foolish people who did not have any idea about what was good for them and what was not.
But surely, some of them will know what is going about on the Internet, particularly from bloggers from Sindh and Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa about the ethnic makeup of the Supreme Court.
I say what I am saying with extreme humility, and as a good friend and supporter, nay as a loyal servant of an independent judiciary. I merely point out what I do to caution My Lords that parallels are being drawn between the present court and the hanging bench that despatched another Sindhi, that time the brilliant Zulfikar Ali Bhutto via the hangman’s noose: the four Punjabis on the bench convicting and the three non-Punjabis acquitting.
A noose that should never have been used according to Nasim Hassan Shah, one of the hanging judges, in several interviews he has given over the last five or so years.
What is the parallel you might well ask? ZAB, an elected leader of great note within the country, and of world renown abroad on the one hand, and the much-maligned Asif Zardari on the other? But this is the whole point, is it not? When the smaller provinces feel badly done by — Bhutto’s judicial murder; Nawab Akbar Bugti’s cold-blooded and targeted killing; the disappearance of many Baloch and Sindhi activists — the seeming relentlessness of Asif Zardari’s pursuit does not enter the equation.
This is what people in positions of authority in this poor and fraying federation must understand, and the sooner the better. Incidentally, the whole argument about ethnicity is just that: ethnicity and not the province in which someone or other resides or is domiciled.
One more time might I suggest too, that in order to demonstrate that they are not only interested in the laying low of the federal government in particular, and politicians and parliament in general, that My Lords step back to give and take some respite, and call other weighty matters before them in suo motu actions as well? At the top of which very long list is the matter of the disappeared which is really attaining alarming proportions.
Critically, it seems an absolute exercise in futility to have a retired judge heading a tribunal of inquiry on the disappeared when a bench of the Supreme Court itself cannot (will not?) summon an army officer above the rank of colonel before it.
To revert to the terrible atrocity perpetrated on our Ahmadi brothers and sisters, first off, my deep gratitude to the Pakistan Army for burying with full military honours the well-considered Maj-Gen (retd) Nasir Ahmed Chaudhry, a 90-year old gentleman who was gunned down in cold blood with the worshippers. Well done, my army, and may this spirit of loyalty and fairness and rectitude guide the high command in other matters too. Today I am a proud former soldier.
My piece of last week was more a personal journey in time: remembering old friends and recalling a time when there was no distinction between Sunnis and Shias and Ahmadis and Bohris and Aga Khanis and what have you, each worshipping his God in his own way, but all equal citizens of the state. This week we must look at the reaction of the state to the killings of Ahmadis as compared to that which is put on display when others are similarly butchered by people who cannot abide those who do not subscribe to their own, narrow beliefs.
For, it is a sad fact that others, whether they be Shias or Sunnis of this or that sect and creed and belief, all have been targets of the obscurantist killers of humanity. Indeed, our Christian and Hindu and Sikh brothers and sisters have likewise been targeted by cruel murderers. But every time that some outrage has taken place, political leaders have bestirred themselves and visited the homes of those killed. Why not this time?
The Ahmadis might be considered non-Muslim by the state; surely they are still Pakistani? Surely, then, all of the protections and succour that a state should provide its citizens are to be extended to them too?
Far more than this, please note that the compensation which is announced immediately for those killed or injured as a result of such wanton acts in the case of others, was announced five days after the event in the case of the Ahmadis (Rs500,000 and 100,000 respectively for those killed and injured). Indeed, look at the language used while announcing compensation: “Jo maraygaey” for those who were killed. Surely there are kinder terms that could have been used, such as “Jo jaan bahak huay”; “Jo halaak huay”; even “Jo faut huay”!
Why are we so cruel towards the poor Ahmadis, can some one please tell me?
Let me add in passing that my Ahmadi friends tell me that the reply of their community to the offer of compensation is that the community is well placed to look after its own, thank you very much, and that the compensation which is to be paid should be transferred to the people of Hunza-Gojal for the relief work which is ongoing and which will surely increase as the disaster widens.
Pakistan is a sad, sad place my friends; a twisted and pitiless and heartless caricature of what our founding fathers had in mind. I am heartbroken. Kudos, however, to Nawaz Sharif for openly saying that the Ahmadis are our brothers. Of course, it is another matter that the obscurantist elements have jumped down his throat! More strength to him I say.
Dastardly terrorist attacks, resulting in the killing of innocent citizens and law-enforcement personnel across the country, throughout the year 2009, constituted the greatest threat to fundamental rights of the citizens. Coming under attack from the security forces in their bastions in Swat and South Waziristan, the militant groups became desperate; they did not spare mosques, bazaars, religious minorities and educational institutions in their obvious bid to paralyse the state and all civilian life. The acts of terrorism and the state’s response to it are discussed in the chapter on Law and order.
………
The sad fact, however, was that the parliament did not pay adequate attention to the vital issues, quite a few of which affected national security, except for an initiative it took to address the uprising in Balochistan towards the end of the year. However, the so-called relief package, too, was yet to be implemented. The matters related to militancy and IDPs drew little attention from the law-makers. During the entire year, they did little law-making, passing only four acts while most of the legislation was done through Presidential ordinances. [See the chapters on ‘Laws and Law-making’ and ‘Political participation’]
The parliament and the executive also failed to take notice of the issues causing distress to the masses, allowing the superior judiciary to expand its jurisdiction and pass verdicts on a variety of subjects, such as determination of the prices of sugar and petrol etc. The Judiciary, on its part, was found short on its promises of expeditious disposal of cases and eradication of corruption in the judicial system. More than 1.5 million cases were pending in the courts at the end of 2009. The chapter on ‘Administration of Justice’ provides details.
In fact, the administration of justice required more than additional judges in courts and higher salaries for the judges. The other two organs of the justice system, police and jails, also needed to be overhauled. Jails were over-crowded and poorly administered. The police was short of personnel. It was also thoroughly corrupt and poorly trained. To check the crime rate, it relied on shortcuts like extra legal killings of the accused in the so-called encounters.……
An outright disrespect for fundamental rights, both by the state and the communal elements, was also visible in the crimes and excesses perpetrated against religious minorities. While the gangsters went on rampage in Gojra against Christians and in Karachi against Shias and looted or destroyed the properties of innocent businessmen, the police force apparently looked the other way. A factory-owner in Muridke was brutally murdered by a mob in the presence of policemen who stood by helplessly. This is obviously due to a lack of professionalism in the police force and absence of an effective institutional mechanism to supervise its functioning, which could ensure public safety and protection of fundamental rights of the citizens.
The Gojra and Muridke incidents, and dozens of cases implicating Ahmedis, also highlighted the misuse of the blasphemy laws, which over the years have been exploited by fanatics and vested interests to perpetuate a reign of terror against the minorities. The government was again too timid to take on the obscurantist elements and make amendments in the law. It could not even enforce the law banning the misuse of loudspeakers that the miscreants employed with impunity to incite the people to violence in both the gory incidents.
The state’s abdication of its responsibilities towards the welfare of the masses could be seen in areas of social and human development. At the end of the year under review, more than 3.5 million children were working as labour in the country in sheer violation of the law and the Constitution. The chapters on Education, Children and Labour provide the details. Public education sector stood ruined as a result of neglect over past several decades. The government did not even care to regulate the private sector schools in order to bring them under some regulatory framework. The same was the state of public healthcare, public transport and housing for the low-income groups. In Punjab, the alleged instances of neglect by private hospitals in providing treatment to patients triggered public protest, but the provincial assembly did not even discuss this issue of public concern.
In recent years, environmental degradation emerged as an issue of survival for Pakistanis, especially owing to acute water shortage, but no serious longterm planning was in sight. The year 2009 witnessed mass protests on the shortage of electricity and natural gas and the emerging trend indicated that in the coming years the people could be up in arms on the issue of water shortage if this issue was not tackled on time.
The media, despite all its shortcomings, played a major role in raising the issues of public interest and highlighted the lackadaisical performance of the government. In doing so, it earned the ire of the rulers. The politicians, who had benefitted from the media in the past during the harsh military regimes, found it hard to stomach its criticism. The media remained under attack from both the state and non-state actors and faced restrictions on free reporting in Balochistan and the tribal region. [The chapter on ‘Freedom of expression’ gives the details]
These issues of public interest on 18 different subjects were monitored and documented by HRCP all along the year as per its tradition since 1990. This book provides an overview of the human rights situation in 2009 besides a digest of the commission.s activities and stands during this period.
Adnan Adil Editor
Highlights
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
The year 2009 saw increasing frequency of organised violent attacks on religious minorities while the government failed to take proactive measures to prevent such violence in Gojra and Karachi.
More than 41 complaints of blasphemy were reported during the year.
At least five members of the Ahmadi sect were murdered in target killings in 2009, raising to 100 the number of killings since the introduction of anti-Ahmadiyya laws by the Ziaul Haq government in 1984.
In 2009, 15 incidents of sectarian violence took place in Balochistan in which 26 men were killed and two others injured.
As the militancy surged in the northwestern parts of the country, enforced migration and displacement of thousands of people belonging to Christians, Sikhs and Hindu communities from Swat, Kohat and FATA was reported following threats by Islamist elements.
A majority of Hindu women did not possess CNIC cards because of legal complications in registration of marriages.
37 Ahmadis were booked under the blasphemy laws during the year and fifty-seven Ahmadis were charged under Ahmadi-specific laws.
Nearly 80 per cent of the minority population falls below the poverty line and it has usually been ignored during the various government support programmes.
Administration of justice
Promotion of Ahmedi officer
Shaukat Ali Wahla, an Ahmedi employed at the Auqaf Department, was promoted as superintendent in BPS 16. In August 1996, the order of his promotion was recalled on the ground that the Punjab Waqf properties Ordinance did not allow the promotion of a non-Muslim as an officer. Wahla came to the Lahore High Court and it granted him relief on the ground that he had been penalised without being heard. Following the Court judgement, the Auqaf Department withdrew its impugned order and promoted Wahla to BPS 17 and also allowed him selection grade. In 2001, the department again started proceedings against him and to meet the requirement of giving him a hearing, issued him a show cause notice. In January 2002, the Department held that Wahla.s promotion as Superintendent was illegal and the order of his promotion was withdrawn. Wahla again appealed to the Lahore High Court and the court again held the order of the department illegal. In 2009, LHC held the recall illegal saying discrimination on the basis of religion was against Article 27(1) of the Constitution. Auqaf Department moved the SC against the LHC judgement.
Fundamental freedoms Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
… It is the will of the people of Pakistan to establish an order … wherein shall be guaranteed fundamental rights, including equality of status, of opportunity and before law, social, economic and political justice, and freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship and association, subject to law and public morality Constitution of Pakistan Preamble
Subject to law, public order and morality (a) every citizen shall have the right to profess, practise and propagate his religion; and (b) every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions. Article 20
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 18
No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or belief of his choice. No one shall be subject to discrimination by any state, institution, group of persons, or person on the grounds of religion or other belief.
UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief Articles 1(2) and 2(1)
In an xenophobic atmosphere, created and promoted by conservative clerics and a section of the media religious minorities are viewed with suspicion and mistrust. They are seen as constantly conspiring against Islam, Muslims and Pakistan in cahoot with the infidel foreign powers, especially the West. An imaginary combine of Hunud-o-Yahud-o-Nasara (Hindus, Jews and Christians) is supposed to be conspiring against Pakistani Muslims all the time in collaboration with the local minorities. This world view propagated on a large scale, coupled with an unfavourable legal regime, has made life difficult for the non-Muslim citizens. They cannot freely practise their religion and present their point of view without risking their life, honour and property as is evident from attacks on them.
The year 2009 saw an increase in violent attacks on religious minorities while the government failed to take effective preventive measures. The growing intolerance of religious minorities. rights, increased frequency of vigilante actions against them and attacks on non-Muslims over allegations of blasphemy and desecration of religious scriptures caused serious hardships to them. As the Pakistan army and paramilitary forces conducted military operations against the Taliban networks in Swat and other tribal areas including South Waziristan, the militants struck with vengeance, in other parts of the country, at non-Muslim minorities, as well as the Muslim minority Shia sect.
The systematic manner in which the Christian colony in Gojra and the shops in Bolton Market in Karachi were burnt down indicated the involvement of organized and trained militants. It was widely believed that indigenous militant organizations (already banned) were behind these attacks. That these organizations had close connections with the Taliban militants and al-Qeada was no secret. The role of main religio-political parties was mostly inimical to religious minorities. These parties did not condemn the violence against the minorities and often advanced conspiracy theories about foreign hands being behind violence against minorities. In some cases, the seminaries closely connected with religio-political parties were used to foment trouble against the minority communities. On the other hand, the government response, mostly in the form of belated announcements of financial compensation and some attempts at encouraging reconciliation at the local level, had usually been insufficient and reactive.
Freedom of Religion
Ahmadis
As the most vulnerable community in Pakistan the Ahmadis continued to face discrimination and violence throughout the year. The blasphemy laws were widely used against them as five Ahmedi citizens were murdered in target killings in 2009, raising to 100 their casualties since the introduction of anti-Ahmadiya laws by the Ziaul Haq regime in 1984.
Cases on religious grounds and blasphemy victims
The blasphemy law proved to be a major contributor to the minorities. woes during the year as the Gojra carnage demonstrated. In 2009, a total of 41 complaints of blasphemy were registered by police. Some 37 Ahmedis were booked under blasphemy laws and 57 Ahmedis were charged under Ahmedi-specific laws. However, many cases were registered against Muslims as the rival sects of Islam increasingly used the blasphemy law against each other, as may be seen in the account given below:
January 2: The Sargodha police booked two men, Mushtaq Ahmed and Muhammad Ali, on the charges of erasing kalma from the wall of a village mosque.
January 12: A man named Liaquat, was arrested by the police for allegedly burning the Quran in Panwan village near Manawala, Sheikhupura district.
January 17: Chichawatni police booked two men, Pir Syed Athar Shah Naqvi and Syed Ismail Shah, on the charge of committing blasphemy in their speeches on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali. A cleric belonging to Sunni-Deobandi sect, Mufti Muhammad Usman, had filed a complaint against the two men belonging to the Sunni-Barelvi sect. Two days later, the workers of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and the Anjuman Tajiran Chichawatni staged a protest demonstration outside the office of the district police officer in Sahiwal against wrongly implicating Pir Athar Shah. The sessions judge at Khanewal dismissed the bail application of the accused and the police arrested one of them.
January 19: A petition was moved in the Lahore High Court against Qurban Ali, the principal of a private education trust in Lahore, for allegedly committing blasphemy by writing a book, titled ‘Hero and Role Model’ in which he listed his six top heroes of the world including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and himself. Muhammad Younas, Khateeb at a mosque moved the police for the registration of a case. On 18 February, an additional sessions judge, ordered police to register a case against the accused on blasphemy charges.
January 28: Five Ahmedis, including four children, were charged with blasphemy under section 295-C in Chak 172-TDA, in Layyah district. However, the police foiled an attempt by the members of a banned organisation to torch the houses of the people belonging to the Ahmediya community. The four children remained behind the bars for six months.
January 30: Businesses were closed down and protest demonstrations were staged in Mandi Bhauddin (Punjab) against the alleged defiling of the Quran a day earlier.
January 31: Ahsan Tahami, a librarian at the Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore, was booked for uttering blasphemous words in a discussion. He fled his home along with his family and went into hiding.
February 5: Muntazirul Haq Shahjehan, a police officer and station house officer (SHO) at Raja Jang police station, was booked on blasphemy charges on the complaint of a local journalist.
February 6: Several political and religious parties staged a demonstration in Quetta against alleged desecration of Holy Quran in Zhob and urged the government to probe the incident.
February 9: Muazaffarabd police registered a case against the sellers of a book allegedly containing blasphemy material. The accused got pre-arrest bail from a court.
February 16: The District and Sessions Judge, Jhelum, heard a case relating to blasphemy charges against one, Khalid Naqash, who had written a book titled, ‘Quran aur Hum’. It was alleged that the book contained blasphemous content about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Another man, Muhammad Afzal, who had written the preamble of the book, was also arrested along with the author. February 18: Clerics in Raiwind called upon the government to register a case and punish those responsible for alleged desecration of Holy Quran in a private hospital at Syeda Waheeda Memorial Nursing College, Raiwind Road Lahore, run by Fatima Memorial Hospital Lahore. It was alleged that some Christian students had placed Quran in shoe boxes. As the clerics protest mounted, the college administration closed down the institution for fear of unrest and violence.
March 1: The Kasur police arrested two Christian men, Wilayat Masih and Mushtaq Masih, on blasphemy charges in Malloki village. The accused were charged that they had covered the grave of a Christian relative with a cloth inscribed with Quranic verses.
March 11: Police booked 25 people on blasphemy charges and arrested four of them in Chak 33 in Kanganpur area, Kasur district. The accused belonged to Ahl-e-Hadith sect and the complainant to Sunni-Barelvi sect.
March 12: Police registered a case under section 295 and 295-A of the PPC against unidentified people for writing blasphemous words on street walls of Umerkot and Mirwah Gorchani on March 10. Hundreds of people protested against the alleged blasphemy, attacked petrol pumps and shops and blocked main highways.
March 23: Police booked four Muslim men for attacking a religious congregation of a different sect and allegedly uttering blasphemous words against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Pattoki, Kasur district. Two of the accused, Rana Naeem and Rana Zahoor, were arrested.
March 27: One Irfan was arrested by the police on the charge of burning a Quran in Mohallah Sabri Colony, Okara.
April 4: Anees Mallah, (25) who was facing blasphemy charges, was found dead in Sanghar jail. He had been moved there only a day earlier from Mirpur Khas, where he had spent almost a year in prison. Anees’s lawyer said he was subjected to torture, shot and afterwards slaughtered brutally in the jail by some jail inmates. His elder brother, Ghulam Rasool Mallah, said Anees was wrongly implicated in a blasphemy case in March 2008 and murdered inside the jail. He said even medico-legal officers were afraid to issue a report about the cause of the death. He said on March 21 2008, his brother’s motorbike had crashed into a gate erected for a Milad function which angered the organisers and they implicated him in a blasphemy case.
April 7: Lahore High Court’s Bahawalpur bench rejected a bail plea of Haider Zaman, accused of blasphemy, and sent him to prison. A mob of baton-wielding students of local seminaries surrounded the court during the hearing and chanted slogans asking the court to award death sentence to the accused. Afterwards, on 30 June, a threemember bench of the Supreme Court also rejected his bail plea and ordered the Bahawalnagar trial court to complete the hearing within three months.
April 8: Police registered a case against a Muslim woman, Ameera Bibi, on blasphemy charges, under sections 290-A and 295-C of PPC, on the direction of a court in Chowk Azam, Layyah district for saying derogatory remarks against God and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A local man, Shabbir Shah, was the complainant.
April 10: An additional district and sessions judge at Kamalia (Punjab) ordered the city police to register a case against two Shia clerics, Imran Rizvi and Asif Raza Alvi, on blasphemy charges on the complaint of clerics from a rival Sunni sect.
April 13: Police booked and arrested Bilal Tahir Khawaja, owner of a football manufacturing factory, on blasphemy charge under section 295-A for printing holy Islamic names on footballs. No lawyer represented the accused in the court as Daska lawyers association assured the complainant clerics that the bar would not provide legal assistance to the accused.
April 14: Clerics belonging to Tehreek-e-Tahfuzz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat (Movement for the protection of sanctity of Prophet (PBUH), moved Lahore High Court to get a blasphemy case registered against the owner of a textile mills in Faisalabad. The petitioners alleged the factory had printed the name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on bed sheets and thus committed blasphemy.
April 21: The Supreme Court (Shariat Appellate Bench) rejected an appeal against a Federal Shariat Court (FSC) ruling that death is the only punishment that the Islamic law provides for blasphemy. The appeal had been filed by Bishop Dani L. Tasleem 18 years ago after the FSC gave the judgment in exercise of its powers to determine if the existing laws conformed to Sharia. The appellant could not pursue the petition as he had died.
April 25: Twelve Christian families in Chak 190/AL village of Sahiwal left their homes in a bid to save their lives on receiving life threats from other Christians and Muslims — who alleged that these families had committed blasphemy by throwing ink on the Holy Quran. The village had a huge Christian population. Unidentified people had broken into Harappa Government Community Model Girls Primary School in the village. In the morning, students found on the ground a page of the Holy Quran smeared with black ink and gum. The words on the blackboard led to the assumption that a Christian was responsible for what had happened.
May 9: The Pasrur Police registered a case against a Shia cleric who was accused of saying something derogatory about the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) during a speech.
May 30: A mob staged a protest demonstration in Sukkur against a doctor belonging to Hindu faith. A medical representative, Asghar Channa, complained that assistant professor Pawan Kumar of Ghulam Muhammad Medical College had allegedly uttered blasphemous words against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The protesters dispersed after the police assured them that a case would be registered against the accused. Afterwards, the police registered a case on blasphemy charges against him. On 23 June, a Sukkur magistrate ordered the police to present the challan against the accused.
June 27: Bashir Ahmed, imprisoned in Dera Ghazi Khan Jail and facing trial on the charges of saying disrespectful words against the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was slaughtered by another prisoner with a sharp razor inside the jail.
July 1: A young man, Imran Masih, was captured by a mob and tortured on the charge of burning the Quran and Islamic books in Faisalabad. Police arrested the man and registered a case against him.
July 9: The Talagang police in Chakwal district registered a case on blasphemy charges, under sections 295-A and 295-C, against a man, Pir Muhammad Ishaq, who allegedly claimed to be God and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
July 18: FIA Karachi arrested a man, Murad, resident of Gizri, on the complaint of journalist Ansar Abbasi who allegedly received hate mails from him. The accused was also charged with publishing blasphemous material against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on a website.
July 26: Workers belonging to Sunni Tehreek staged a protest demonstration and blocked the main Sheikhupura highway in Khararianwala area in Faisalabad district to pressurise the local police for registering a case against 32 Ahmedis, of 194 RB village, on the charge of writing Quranic verses on the outer walls of their houses. The Police registered a case under sections 295-A and 295-C.
July 27: The Sambrial police registered a case under section 295-B, against a man named Maqsood Ahmed, on the charges of desecrating the Quran in Chak Ikhtiar near Sambrial in Sialkot district. The next day, a civil judge sent the accused on 14-day judicial remand.
July 28: Police arrested a man, Amir Haider, on the charge of sending a message allegedly derogatory against the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). August 5: A mob surrounded the house of a middle aged woman, Akhtari Malkani, in a katchi abadi in Sanghar, Sindh on the charge that she had desecrated the Quran. Police took the woman into custody to save her from the mob and assured protesters that if evidence was found it would register a case against her. Angry protesters, demanding the custody of the woman, threw stones at the police station and burnt tyres on the road. Police shot in the air to disperse the crowd. Afterwards, the complainant, Siddique Arain, a shopkeeper, who had some monetary dispute with the accused, disappeared when the police contacted him to file a complaint against Ms Malkani. The woman told the police she had thrown an account book on the ground, not the Quran as the complainant initially accused her, provoking the protests. A 10 member committee headed by the Sanghar Taluka Nazim, absolved the woman of the blasphemy charge after initial investigation and interviews with the witnesses.
September 4: A couple was booked and arrested in Jamber village in Phoolnagar, Kasur district, on the charge of declaring their 10-month-old son Imam Mehdi. More than 500 villagers protested against Abdullah and his wife, Shazia, and blocked the main highway demanding a blasphemy case be registered under 295-C against them.
September 11: A mob torched a local Catholic church in Jaithikey-Sambrial, in Sambrial Tehsil of Daska district over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in the village. A Christian young man, Robert Fanish Masih, 25, was accused of snatching a chapter of the Holy Quran from a local girl and throwing it into a drain. After the alleged incident, local Muslims armed with bricks, stones and sticks attacked the church. They set it ablaze by sprinkling petrol and kerosene oil on it. As no person was present in the church, no casualty took place. Meanwhile, the agitators led by local clerics took out rallies demanding immediate arrest of the accused persons. All the shops and markets remained closed in the village and its surrounding areas while thousands of scared villagers locked themselves up in their homes. The Christian community left the troubled area immediately to save their lives. One day later, the police arrested the accused who was found dead on 15 September in Sialkot Jail. When his family took his body for burial in the native village, a mob attacked the funeral procession, snatched the body and dragged it on the road. He was finally buried in Sialkot district.
October 30: Police registered a blasphemy case against Qaisar Ali Haideri, the author of a book, on the complaint of Mumtaz Ahmed Dar in Kotla Arab Ali, Gujrat district. On 11 November, hundreds of people brought out a procession against the police for not arresting the accused. November 1: Police arrested a man, Sadiq Abbas, and registered a case against him on the charge of burning dozens of copies of Quran in a mosque in Chak 302 JB, Noorpur in Toba Tek Singh district.
November 11: Gojra Additional District and Sessions Judge handed down death sentence and fined Rs100,000 to a blasphemy accused, Muhammad Aslam of Shahabad Colony, on the charge of using blasphemous language publicly on Oct 5, 2008. The court allowed the convict to file an appeal against the sentence before the Lahore High Court within a week.
Damages to and acquisition of places of worship
……
In June, an Ahmediya graveyard in Pir Mahal, Toba Tek Singh, was attacked and desecrated by rioters following which the authorities cancelled the land allotment order issued to the Ahmedis 20 years ago.
During 2009, in Lahore, Ahmedi worship places in Model Town repeatedly received threats from the conservative religious groups and hate campaigns were conducted against the community through wall-chalking, posters and pamphlets.
Violence against Ahmedis
January 19: An Ahmedi, Saeed Ahmad, was killed in Kotri (Sindh).
February 20: Mubashir Ahmed was shot dead in Karachi.
February 25: A murder attempt was made on Muhammad Iqbal Abid, an Ahmedi religious teacher in Vehari.
March 14: Shiraz Bajwa and his wife Noreen Bajwa, both doctors, were brutally murdered in Multan.
April 1: Bashir Ahmed, Advocate, President of the local Ahmadiyya community, Achini Payan, near Peshawar, was abducted and had not been recovered till Dec 31 2009.
May 8: A well known Ahmedi trader, Mian Laiq Ahmad, was attacked in Faisalabad by three armed men while sitting in his car. The armed men blocked the road to his house and shot him dead.
May 9: Rashid Karim, a well-known Ahmedi in Faisalabad, was abducted and released after five months on the payment of a heavy ransom.
June 24: Two Ahmedis, Khalid Rasheed and Zafar Iqbal, were shot dead in Quetta.
July 6: Rana Ata-ul-Karim was murdered in Multan.
August 6: An Ahmedi, Rana Ata-ul Karim, was shot dead after his wife was harassed by three Muslim extremists in Multan.
August 7: Two Ahmedis were assaulted for their faith in Nankana Sahab near Lahore.
August 12: Javed Ahmed escaped a murder attempt in Kunri (Sindh).
September 11: Zulfiquar Mansur was abducted in Quetta and a month later his dead body was found on the roadside on the city.s outskirts.
September 26: Ahmed Farooqi was shot dead in Uch Sharif, Bahawalpur. November 25: Dr Pervaiz Zareef of Bhati Gate, Lahore narrowly escaped an attempt on his life.
November 26: Rana Saleem Ahmad, the Deputy Amir of Jamaat Ahmediya Sanghar, was shot at and killed.
Activities inciting religious intolerance were ignored rather than punished, often leading to serious consequences
Major incidents of violence against religious minorities
The Layyah incident
On January 28, a case under Section 295-C of the Penal Code was registered against five men belonging to the Ahmediya community at Kot Sultan police station of Layyah district where around half a dozen Ahmediya families lived.
Four of the accused were boys studying at matriculation level. They were accused of writing the name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the walls of a mosque’s toilet in village 172/TDA. Although the accused denied the allegation made against them, they were arrested and detained. The fifth accused was a labourer.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) fact-finding mission sent to Layyah on February 1, 2009, a few days prior to the lodging of the FIR, a resident of Chak 173/TDA named Muhammad Safdar saw the name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) written on the mosque’s toilet. He told the prayer leader, Qari Muhammad Saeed, about the writing. According to Masood Ahmed, representative of the Ahmadiyya community in Layyah, six Ahmadi families had been living in village 172/TDA for over 50 years and had had no dispute or enmity with any other community member.
The nazim of the area was asked to probe the matter. It was learnt that four students from the Ahmediya community, namely, Mohammad Irfan, Tahir Imran, Tahir Mehmood and Naseeb Ahmed, used to offer prayers in the mosque and also used its toilets. After the investigation, the Ahmedis were stopped from offering prayers in the mosque, and it was said the villagers believed that the Ahmedis, being the only non-Muslims coming to the mosque, must have committed the sacrilege.
After the registration of the case with the police, the Ahmediya community voluntarily handed over all those nominated in the FIR to the police. The students assured the authorities that they had not written the Prophet’s name in the mosque’s toilets nor had committed any other crime. The students told the authorities that their matriculation examination was due to begin on March 4 and requested to be released.
However, the accused were transferred from Kot Sultan police station, around 20 kilometers from the village, to Saddar police station in Layyah city. The HRCP team went to the police station and requested permission to talk to the accused, but the SHO turned down the request and said he was only responsible for the custody of the accused as it was not his police station.s case. However, the police and villagers conceded that there was no witness or evidence of the Ahmadis’ involvement in the alleged blasphemy and as required by law, no investigation was carried out by the SP investigation prior to the arrest of the accused. The bail applications of the boys were rejected quite a few times and they had to take their examination while in confinement. Eventually, they were granted bail after six months of their arrest.
……
Recommendations
A transparent and fair investigation must be carried out soon after any attacks on minorities in order to enforce justice and ensure that innocent people are not victimized.
The prevailing blasphemy law is arbitrary and should be repealed. The allegations of blasphemy or defiling of religious scriptures, irrespective of their veracity, do not warrant vigilante attacks. Nor do they absolve the government of its primary duty to protect all citizens. Effective prosecution of offenders would serve as a deterrent to future attacks, while a lack of it would encourage impunity. The federal government must take action to ensure that laws on the statute books are not abused to harass or ostracize citizens.
Workshops should be held for school teachers and administrators to sensitise them to the issue of religious tolerance as they play a key role in building the school.s atmosphere and exercise considerable influence over their pupils. The government should adopt a policy of promoting extra-curricular activities to promote religious understanding and tolerance in schools. For example, Muslim students may be taken to places of worship of other religions like churches and temples to familiarize themselves with religious practices and customs of minority groups.
A strict check must be kept on the dissemination of literature and audio-visual material promoting hatred against any religious communities or sects.
Special steps are needed to check the persecution of Ahmadis.
Appendix - II HRCP stands
Freedom of belief and religion
February 12: Five Ahmadis detained on charges of blasphemy in Layyah district have been held virtually without any proof or witnesses, HRCP has said.
The commission, which had sent a fact-finding team to Layyah district last week, said its findings concluded that an investigation, mandated by law prior to the registration of a blasphemy case, was also not held.
The HRCP team learned that a prayer leader in the village had allowed Ahmadi students from a nearby tuition centre to offer prayers in his mosque. The students were later threatened by a government schoolteacher and never went to the mosque again. Around 10 days later, some villagers claimed finding blasphemous writings in the mosque’s toilet.
In the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant said: “Since these Ahmadis are the only non-Muslims coming to the mosque, therefore they must have committed the offence”. The ‘argument’ was heard time and again during the HRCP team’s interviews with the mosque administration, some villagers and the local police.
The police and villagers conceded that there were no witnesses or evidence of the Ahmadis’ involvement. The HRCP team found elements belonging to banned extremist organisations and a relative of the National Assembly member from the area had pressurised the police to register a case. “It is clear that a local politician has also used his influence” to book the Ahmadis, the Commission’s report said.
HRCP said the complainant and his extremist supporters are adamant that the Ahmadis should be punished on the basis of presumption.
HRCP has demanded a prompt and transparent investigation into the matter to ensure that innocent people are not victimised. It has also demanded the government ensure that the Ahmadiyya community in the village is not harassed or ostracised. The Commission has also asked the government to take prompt measures to rule out misuse of the blasphemy law.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful International Press and Media Desk Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat International 22 Deer Park, London, SW19 3TL Tel / Fax (44) 020 8544 7613 Mobile (44) 077954 90682 Email: press@ahmadiyya.org.uk
Web: Alislam.org
LONDON, 30th November 2009
PRESS RELEASE
AN AHMADI MUSLIM TEACHER KILLED IN PAKISTAN
Mr Rana Salim of Sanghir District, Sindh was shot dead on 26 November 2009.
It is with great sadness that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat confirms that another member of its Jamaat, Mr Rana Salim of Sanghir District, Sindh was shot dead on 26 November 2009.
Mr Salim was walking out from the Baitul Hamd mosque after the evening prayers when he was shot at point blank range. He was rushed to hospital but died prior to arrival. The Asian Human Rights Commission confirmed that the local police did not arrive until very late and subsequently failed to file any proper report or conduct a proper investigation. Locals have confirmed that recently a number of Ahmadis in the area, including Mr Salim, had been receiving frequent threats. The police had been made aware of these threats but refused to take any action.
Mr Salim devoted his life to his passion for education. He and his wife ran the prestigious ‘New Life’ public school and they were routinely praised for providing an excellent standard of education. Indeed jealously at the high performance of the school is one of the reasons that local extremists had targeted Ahmadis in the recent past.
Regarding the continued attacks on Ahmadis in Pakistan, the Asian Human Rights Commission reported on 27 November 2009:
“The State consistently fails in its responsibility to protect them (Ahmadis), despite repeated claims by the current administration that it represents the best interests of minorities in the country. The impunity seen to be enjoyed by those who commit crimes against Ahmadis only further encourages discriminatory violence.”
Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, led the funeral prayer of the deceased in absentia on 27 November 2009. Prior to this he said:
“Mr Rana Salim ran the ‘New Life’ school in Sanghir District in which around 1000 students are currently enrolled. The standard of the school is very high… The deceased is survived by his wife, two daughters and one son. May God grant his family patience at this time and may He elevate the status of the deceased in heaven.”
End of Release
Press Secretary AMJ International, press at ahmadiyya.org.uk
Burewala, District Vehari; November 18, 2008: Unknown pillion riders murdered Mr. Muhammad Ghazanfar Chattha, Ahmadi, in Burewala on November 18, 2008.
Mr. Chattha was an Inspector Finance in the community organization. He was visiting the district president of the Ahmadiyya community when unknown assailants fired at him. He died on the spot. The assassins fled after the attack.
He is survived by his wife, one teen-aged son and three daughters. Two of the daughters are college students, while the third suffers from a mental illness.
This is the sixth Ahmadi death for their faith this year. Since the promulgation of anti-Ahmadi Ordinance XX in 1984 Mr. Chattha has become the 96th Ahmadi to die at the hands of violent extremists and criminals. Rawalpindi; November 8, 2008: The police of R.A. Bazaar, Rawalpindi registered a case under law PPC 298-C that is specific to Ahmadis, on November 8, 2008 against two Ahmadis with FIR 691/2008. They arrested Mr. Abdul Hameed Ghani and Mr. Habib Ahmad. The former is the president of the local Ahmadi community, while the latter attends to Ahmadis’ moral and religious education.
The two Ahmadis were accused of using a house for community worship; this allegedly hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The accusation is mala fide as the building is used for various community functions including worship. This is because no mosque is available to Ahmadis to offer regular prayers; also, it is not true that the practice hurt the sentiments of Muslims. No Muslim came forward to have his complaint registered; the police registered the case on its own initiative. It was their own undertaking. It is noteworthy that in the same week Mr. Zardari the President of Pakistan was at the United Nations to participate in the High-Level meeting where it was declared inter alia: “The meeting further recalled that all States have pledged themselves under the Charter to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all including freedoms of belief and expression without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.” Mr. Ban Ki-moon rightly advised: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days.”
The Government of Pakistan should take note that the authorities have not formally allowed Ahmadis to build a single mosque in Pakistan for years. In June this year the authorities tore down an under-construction Ahmadiyya mosque in Bhabhra Heelan in Kotli, Azad Kashmir. They also registered a police case against the Ahmadis of Kotli city for undertaking repairs and improvements to their place of worship. At Barali, in the same district, the authorities forcibly stopped construction of an Ahmadiyya mosque. These were enormous crimes committed by the law-enforcing body. If Ahmadis do not have a proper place to worship, and they are not allowed to build one, they have to pray somewhere – so why not in their own house? The Rawalpindi police is not even 20 kilometers away from the capital from where those that govern announce routinely ‘powerful, positive words’ in support of freedom of religion and faith.
The two arrested Ahmadi men, who otherwise are law-abiding citizens, were locked up by the police. Two days later when they applied to the magistrate for release on bail, he rejected their plea. The police, administration and judiciary in the twin city, that is faced with the mega-problem of terrorism, are farcical (Marriott Hotel, Lal Masjid etc), and waste their time and energy in detaining peaceful citizens who pray in their private property.
Ten days later, the Session Court heard the bail applications. The judge decided to release them against surety. They will however face the unnecessary and futile trial, where, if declared guilty (for offering prayers at home) they could be sent to prison for three years. Would Quaid-i-Azam recognize the present-day Pakistan as his legacy? The politicians and authorities pay no attention to what the great man told the Assembly on 11th August 1947 in his speech, that is on record. A glaring discrimination in the field of education
Rabwah: The daily Dawn of November 26, 2008 published a letter to the editor. It is self-explanatory and is reproduced below:
Glaring discrimination
We are a strange society, and have developed a rather freakish state. We hurry to implement ill-considered plans, and even when their futility becomes obvious, we are slow, very slow to throw them out. Our ability to undertake dishonest discrimination is enormous. Let me mention here a proof, if one is needed.
In 1972, the socialist government nationalized privately owned schools and colleges, including 10 which belonged to the Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan. Twenty-four years later, when great damage had been done to education, the government was ‘pleased’ to offer denationalization to the owners, conditionally. The Anjuman Ahmadiyya met all those conditions of the government to get its own schools back. Since then the government of Punjab has returned numerous institutions to their owners, but for unstated reasons have not returned the schools of the Anjuman Ahmadiyya. The authorities concerned have failed to respond to various reminders, or even to acknowledge their receipt during the last eleven years. Their discrimination and political and administrative grossness is mind-boggling.
Recently in the in-camera extraordinary joint session of the Parliament, “It was recalled that in the past the dictatorial regimes pursued policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of national interest”. Well, it is more than six months now that the new democratic regime has prevailed in the provinces and the centre. One expects them to return the Ahmadiyya schools in accordance with the government’s own policy, and not regress from doing that “to perpetuate their own power at the cost of national interest.”
I hope the weekly Time of U.S. was not correct in its recent comment: “It takes a big bomb to make a point in Pakistan these days.”
SYED TAHIR AHMAD Rabwah
The Kunri Case — a targeted Ahmadi’s bail rejected
Kunri, Sindh; November 19, 2008: It should be recalled that in the month of September 2008, two Ahmadi presidents of district communities in Sindh were murdered, one after the other, in broad daylight. While Ahmadis were facing such attacks from religious thugs, the Sindh Police, rather than protecting them, was busy in supporting the mulla. On September 14, 2008 they accused Rana Khalil Ahmad, Ahmadi of writing a ‘blasphemous’ letter to the Khatib of Jame Masjid, Kunri. Mr. Rashid Iqbal was accused of writing something religious on the road with chalk.
Both these gentlemen were charged under the blasphemy clauses 295A and 295C, under the cover of the anti-terrorism law. Rana Khalil Ahmad was arrested. Since then he has been in prison. He applied for release on bail. On November 19, the judge rejected his plea. He remains in prison.
Rana Khalil Ahmad is an old man and earns his living from a small retail store. He lost a leg in an accident, and walks with the help of crutches.
This is the response of the administration, police and judiciary to terrorism in Pakistan! Ahmadi subjected to arson
Chakral, District Chakwal: Mr. Mansur Ahmad’s family is the only Ahmadi family in Chakral. On October 12, 2008 extremist elements set fire to his house.
Mansur had gone away earlier with his family, but on the day of the incident, he alone had come back home. At the time they set his house on fire he was sleeping inside. It was approximately 2 A.M. One of the rooms was destroyed while the other was partially damaged.
Mr. Mansur escaped unhurt, fortunately. The perpetrators of the crime collected his religious literature including the Holy Quran and set it on fire along with other combustible household items. The damage amounted to approximately Rs. 100,000. They also took his computer and printer.
It is noteworthy that the local mulla recently initiated a vilification campaign against Mr. Mansur.
Mr. Mansur reported the incident to the police. No arrests have since been made, as yet.
Ahmadis — no job for them in the state sector!
Since the promulgation of Amendment No. II to the Constitution in 1974, the authorities have implemented the policy of reducing to the minimum the availability of state jobs to Ahmadis. Prior to 1974, Ahmadis joined government service in great numbers, as the literacy rate in their community was among the highest. However, with the passing of Amendment No. II to the Constitution, that declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims, a message was sent to one and all that Ahmadis could be discriminated against with impunity. As a result, the intake of Ahmadis in the military and the civil service, as officers, was reduced to a trickle.
Prior to 1974, there were many Ahmadis who served as pilots in the Pakistan Air Force. One of them, Zafar Chaudhry, an ace pilot, rose to the rank of Air Marshal and was appointed Chief of the Air Staff. However, after that, the intake of Ahmadi pilots was reduced significantly.
One exception occurred two years ago when one, Saeed Ahmad Nazir, an Ahmadi youth was selected in the GD Pilot branch of the PAF. He was doing well in his training. In the aircraft technical tests (ATTs) he scored 96% marks. In flying he did 17 missions, of which four were solo. At that stage, his instructor turned sectarian and failed him in flying missions. When Nazir protested, he said: “(Do not forget) Air Force is very small and I’ll always be your senior.” Later, in one of the gatherings when asked by other trainees, he replied that nothing was wrong with Nazir’s flying but because of “reasons that could not be stated,” they had to suspend him.
Thus only a few days before the graduation, Nazir was rejected. He left the PAF with a heavy heart. They offered him a post in a secondary branch of the air force. However, his friends advised him that there was no point in staying in an organization where he would face discrimination throughout his career.
Ahmadi forced to dislocate
District Sargodha: Dr Shafqatullah, an Ahmadi in government service was forced by scheming and violent extremists to shift his home to another town recently.
Dr Shafqatullah has been Incharge of the government hospital at Sobagha, district Sargodha for the last 15 years. He is a conscientious, hard working professional and his hospital is doing well. He also has good reputation. His superiors have often praised his work.
Permitted by his department, he has a house and a clinic inside the hospital. The public also finds this arrangement useful. The doctor is a practicing Ahmadi, and in his off-time he undertakes community service. He shares a farm with his uncle at Chak 152 North in the same district.
Anti-Ahmadiyya activists do not like Dr Shafqatullah’s good reputation and standing in the society. Over the past 5-6 years they opposed him in public, and fomented agitation against him. They threatened both his person and property. They even mentioned murder and abduction of his children. They sent applications and made frivolous complaints against him with the district authorities.
In the month of September this year, these miscreants added poison to the drinking water tank meant for the doctor’s farm buffalos kept for milk. Eight of those died within 2 to 3 hours. This was a heavy financial loss to him.
The doctor, sensing that threats were now turning into material harm, consulted his friends. They advised him that to remain relatively safe, he should shift residence. He has moved as advised. A press report on Rabwah
Rabwah; November 29, 2008: The daily Jang, Lahore published a story on the civic situation of Rabwah in its issue of November 29, 2008. Its translation is produced below:
Chenab Nagar turns into a heap of problems. Representatives fall short of expectations.
Bad drainage results in pools of sewage water in streets and bazaars. Most primary schools have no boundary walls. Three neighborhoods have no water in pipes.
Chenab Nagar (Report by Rana Nadeem Ahmad): Roads have become narrow due to crowding by parking of motorcycle rickshaws and vendors’ carts. Chenab Nagar has become a problem-prone city.
Public representatives have fallen short of people’s expectations. The neighborhoods and suburbs within the jurisdiction of Union Council 41 & 42 have become problems areas. There is apparently no one responsible for this population that exceeds a hundred thousand people. The elected representatives appear helpless in the face of numerous civic problems.
On account of the damaged drainage system, main streets and bazaars get flooded with dirty water. Overflowing gutters cause great inconvenience to pedestrians. Since long the neighborhoods of Darul Ulum West, East and Central have been denied water supply, so their people have to drink brackish underground water.
The fault-prone telephone exchange causes failures of phones. Residents pay heavy line-rent to PTCL but in turn receive unsatisfactory service.
Traffic is problematic on the Aqsa Road; there is always a risk of an accident thereby. Pedestrians find it difficult to walk on the Railway Road, Aqsa Road and the Gol Bazaar on account of encroachments. Aqsa Road has been almost occupied by rickshaw drivers and vendors. Roads that are 60-feet wide have thus become narrow passages. Educational institutions are also faced with problems.
Residents of Chenab Nagar have requested the Chief Minister to give priority attention to the problems of Darul Ulum West, Darul Futuh, Nasirabad and other neighborhoods. Sometimes ago when Mr. Muhammad Khalid, the Divisional Superintendent Railways came here on tour, he issued instructions that encroachments near the railway line should be removed; however no follow-up action has been taken. These encroachment cause great difficulty to traffic and pedestrians.
A fatwa from South Africa
South African Sunni mullas have a fairly long history of hostility towards Ahmadis. They went to the courts in 1986 to seek a verdict in a case regarding one burial of a (Lahori) Ahmadi in a Muslim graveyard. The court verdict was not to the satisfaction of these mullas, although they were provided legal and theological help from as far as Pakistan. Pakistani government and clerics (including Dr Ghazi, later a member of General Musharraf’s National Security Council) went out of their way to oppose Ahmadis in South Africa.
Recently, the so-called Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa published a Fatwa against “Ahmadis Qadianis”. It is interesting to note that immediately prior to the issue of this Fatwa, mulla Ilyas Chinioti (a resident of Chiniot in Punjab, Pakistan) had gone all the way to South Africa to participate in various functions and meetings of the Khatme Nabuwwat organization there. It is obvious from this that Pakistan mullas fly oversees to spread their mischief in distant lands. A story titled Disinformation campaign appears elsewhere in this News Report, regarding Chinioti.
The fatwa carries the stamp of Majlis Ifta and is signed by its acting-president and the head of the fatwa department. Its contents and tone display extreme of religious bigotry and intolerance. It is a model of what a tolerant religious dispensation should not do. A few excerpts from the fatwa are reproduced below (sic):
They (Ahmadis) should NOT BE ALLOWED to enter the Masjids (Mosques) as well as All other prayer, religious and educational facilities of Muslims.
No Sheikh, Maulana, Imam or Muslim should officiate at ANY of their marriage ceremonies.
Intermarriages between Qadianis, Ahmadies/Lahories and a Muslim MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED. Such marriages are INVALID in terms of Shariah (Islamic Law).
Qadianis, Ahmadis/Lahories are NOT ALLOWED to serve as Legal Representative (Wakil) or witnesses in any religious matter.
A Muslim should not pray FOR OR ON Qadianis’ alias Ahmadis’/Lahories’ dead.
Anything slaughtered by Qadianis, Ahmadies/Lahories CANNOT be eaten NOR can WE eat from them.
etc., etc.
Note the use of capitals and bold letters. The wording and scope of the fatwa are amazing. It is this kind of thinking and action that brings disrepute to religion in general and Islam in particular. Sectarian drive in District Khushab
Mitha Tiwana, District Khushab: The activists of Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat have targeted District Khushab for years. The notorious mulla Athar Shah who precipitated the Takht Hazara massacre in November 2000, was later appointed in District Khushab where he continued to spread hatred and unrest against Ahmadis.
Activists of the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat have recently been very active in Mitha Tiwana. They distributed hate literature against Ahmadis. They agitated against an Ahmadi teacher in the local Government High School, and distributed pamphlets and write-ups among the staff and school children.
One of these pamphlets is titled: “Qadiani masnuat ka boycott — Ek jazbati Naara ya Imani taqaza” i.e. Boycott of Ahmadiyya products — a mere agitational slogan or a genuine demand of faith? The pamphlet describes the case of some political rebels in the early days of Islam as apostates and reminds the reader that they were put to death for their claims to Prophethood. The founder of Ahmadiyyat is included in the pamphlet in the same tradition. The pamphlet is scandalous and provocative and is written in foul language. It mentions all the well-known Ahmadiyya houses of business in the country and urges the reader to boycott their products.
It calls all Ahmadis ‘robbers’, and urges termination of all interaction and social relations with them. In turn, the pamphlet offers the glad tidings that, “Allah will grant you the bliss of the holy drink from the fountain of Kauther in the paradise from the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and you will also receive his recommendation to be saved.” It reminds the reader that: “The first sign of one’s love for the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of Allah is to hate his enemies.”
The publishers have boldly printed their address on the pamphlet as below:
Callers to Goodness: Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat, District Office: Jame Masjid Abu Bakr Siddique alias Mian Bagar Wali, Lahori Gate, Jehlum Nagar, Purana Chowk, Khushab. Ph. No. 0333-9824871
Is the state prepared to act against these agents of ill-will and hatred, or will it suffice that its President attend the high level meeting at the UN, where finally the Secretary General had to say: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, words…”.
Foul language in the outskirts of Rabwah
Ahmad Nagar, September 28, 2008: Ahmad Nagar is a large village on the north-western outskirts of Rabwah. It has a mixed population, Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis.
Ramadan is a lunar month of fasting, and Muslim are expected to be more mild, tolerant and good in this holy month. The twenty-seventh of Ramadan has a special significance with most Muslims, and they tend to be more charitable and pious on this date. However, the anti-Ahmadi mullas of Ahmad Nagar, Chenab Nagar and Chiniot have a different perception and set of priorities.
On 27th Ramadan this year, these mullas organized a big anti-Ahmadiyya event at Masjid Bilal in Ahmad Nagar. They indulged in slander and badmouthing against Ahmadis throughout the night. Their language was highly provocative and hurtful.
In addition, these mullas declared that members of the Ahmadiyya Community were apostates and deserved to be put to death (Wajab-ul-Qatl). One of them said that this kind of murder was a pious duty (Muqaddas freezah). This exhortation could lead some of their flock to commit heinous crime. It is this kind of ‘preaching’ that led to the assassination of three Ahmadis in Sindh in the month of September.
Ahmadiyya headquarters informed the authorities of this. We do not know if they took any concrete action. Disinformation campaign
Chiniot; November 16, 2008: Mulla Ilyas Chinioti is the son of the late Mulla Manzur Ahmad Chinioti who spent his entire life in opposition to Ahmadiyyat. The senior Chinioti claimed all the credit for success in persuading Mian Brothers of Lahore to change the name of Rabwah to Chenab Nagar. He used to boast that this change was the fruit of 30 years of efforts. Not all his efforts were, of course, bloodless. He died a few years ago, and now mulla Ilyas Chinioti has inherited his father’s mission which he performs in the same manner and style. Disinformation is an important element of this. We quote below only the headlines of his statement that was published by the daily ‘Amn’ of Faisalabad on 16 November, 2008:
American Zionists and Qadiani monsters spread tampered versions of the Quran all over the world. Alterations done to the Holy Quran. 44 chapters removed, as also various verses regarding Jihad and Faith. Corrupted version of the Quran was published in the US, then delivered to the government of Kuwait for distribution. The title of this corrupted version is Furqanul Haq. Chapters concerning Jihad and Faith have not been included in it. — Maulana Ilyas Chinioti
We are not in a position to comment on the authenticity of Chinioti’s statement, but it can be firmly asserted that ‘Qadiani monsters’ have played no part in it. His accusation is another one of his numerous lies.
The Amn reported that ‘Member of the Punjab Assembly, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti disclosed all this to our correspondent on telephone, on return from his successful moralizing tour (Tablighee Daurah) of South Africa.”
The King and We
United Nations: According to a press report in the Daily Times of November 13, 2008 King Abdullah, the initiator of the global dialogue on interfaith, told the gathering of over 60 representatives from around the world that roots of all global crises could be found in human denial of eternal principles of justice. The paper reported the event under the following headline:
Abdullah preaches peace, tolerance at interfaith moot
(Excerpts): Advocating peace, justice and tolerance as the key Islamic values, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said religions should not be used as ‘instruments to cause misery.’
“Human beings were created as equals and partners, either they live in peace and harmony, or they will inevitably be consumed by the flames of misunderstandings, malice and hatred,” he said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, APP reported.
The king is right. But one is immediately reminded of the sad state of religious intolerance in his own country that became manifest in an incident two years ago when the Saudi religious police raided the Ahmadiyya center at Jeddah at about 2.00 P.M. on December 29, 2006. The police detained all the Ahmadis present there including women, children and an 8 month old infant. Some of the arrested were handcuffed and even shackled. All these innocent prisoners were maltreated for reasons not stated. They were then put on expulsion notice, although Amnesty International appealed to the Saudi Arabian authorities to halt the expulsion of all those targeted solely for their actual or suspected connection with the Ahmadiyya religious community. The Daily Times made an editorial comment on the incident in its issue of January 11, 2007 and gave it the title: Islamic cleansing. The Saudi authorities however persisted in their persecution drive and expelled almost all these Ahmadis. All of these had been legally working in the kingdom for years. None has been allowed to come back.
In these circumstances, all concerned, but more than others the good Saudi monarch should think over the advice of the UN Secretary general Ban ki-moon offered at the same forum: “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days”, and proceed with the implementation of his own advice.
Ahmadis behind bars
Mr. Muhammad Iqbal was imprisoned for life in a fabricated case of blasphemy. He was arrested in March 2004, and is now incarcerated in the Central Jail, Faisalabad. An appeal lies with the Lahore High Court against the decision of the Sessions Court. It is registered as Criminal Appeal No 89/2005. He is now in the fifth year of his imprisonment.
Three Ahmadis namely Messrs, Basharat, Nasir Ahmad and Muhammad Idrees along with 7 others of Chak Sikandar were arrested in September 2003 on a false charge of murder of a cleric, alleged by opponents of the Jamaat. The police, after due investigation found no evidence against the accused. Yet these men still faced ‘complaint trial’ for a crime they did not commit. Based on the unreliable testimony of the two alleged eye-witnesses (who were proven false in the court) the court acquitted seven of the accused, but on the evidence of the same two liars the court sentenced these three innocent Ahmadis to death. They are being held in a death cell at a prison in Jehlum, while their appeal lies with the Lahore High Court. These innocent are now in the sixth year of their incarceration. Their appeal to the Lahore High Court is registered as Criminal Appeal No. 616/2005 dated 26 April 2005.
Dr. Muhammad Asghar was arrested on a fabricated charge of blasphemy. The judge rejected his plea for bail.
Rana Khalil Ahmad, an elderly and disabled gentleman, is detained for allegedly writing a letter to a cleric.
From the press
Two motorcycle riders fired at and assassinated Mr. Ghazanfar Ahmad Chattha, an Ahmadi divisional inspector and missionary.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 19, 2008
We will resist construction of Qadiani house of worship in Dipalpur.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 11, 2008
CM (Chief Minister) dismisses threat of Talibanisation (in Sindh)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Religions should not be used to create misery. — King Abdullah (of S.A.)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 13, 2008
(Reminds one of maltreatment of Ahmadis in Jeddah in 2006. Ed.)
The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive words we have heard these past two days. — Remarks of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at press conference after the Culture of Peace meeting held at UN headquarters on 12, 13 November, 2008 at the initiative of Saudi King Abdullah
www.un.org/apps/news/infocus
The conduct of extremist mullas is entirely un-Islamic. — (Governor) Salman Tasir Our highest priority is to promote peace in Pakistan. To achieve that, inculcate tolerance, patience and forbearance as a part of your syllabus. Inform the new generation candidly that what the extremist ulama do in the name of Islam, has nothing to do with Islam.
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 28, 2008
Black man in White House
The daily News, Lahore; November 06, 2008
Chenab Nagar: A depot of (civic) problems
The daily Jang, Lahore; November 29, 2008
False claimant to ‘Prophethood’ should be hanged in public. — Maulana Rabnawaz Farooqi
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 29, 2008
Suicide attack in Bajaur mosque. Nine including the leader of the Lashkar killed.
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 21, 2008
Suicide attack in Hangu mosque; 5 dead
The daily Jang, Lahore; November 23, 2008
Violence breaks out after blast kills 10 in DIK (at funeral). Death toll in Khar mosque suicide attack rises to 12
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 22, 2008
Bomber strikes Salarzai Jirga in Bajaur, kills 22
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 7, 2008
Suicide bomber kills eight soldiers
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 03, 2008
Eight killed in Kohat, Hangu Six men, a woman and a child were killed in Kohat and Hangu districts in incidents of sectarian violence on Tuesday.
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 26, 2008
Maulana Abdul Aziz set free on condition not to visit the Lal Masjid
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 06, 2008
JUI (F) gets huge military land Durrani admits, JUI spokesman denies allotment; Qazi Hussain Ahmad shocked
The daily News, Lahore; November 02, 2008
Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani [of JUI(F)] appointed (new) Chairman of Islamic Ideological Council Dr Khalid Masood (who recently proposed women-friendly amendments to marriage laws) is relieved of his post (as chairman)
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Dawat-i-Islami congregation concludes (at Multan) Three-day congregation……concluded……attended by one million faithful
The daily Frontier Post, Lahore; November 03, 2008
(Why deny the same privilege to Ahmadis in Rabwah? — Ed.)
Alternate site designated for reconstruction of Jamia Hafsa Lal Masjid administration has also given its consent. Madrassah will be built in Sector H-8. The decision to free Maulana Abdul Aziz and reconstruction of the Jamia at alternate site was taken during Ramadan.
The daily Ausaf, Lahore; November 19, 2008
Anti-Christian violence claimed 100 lives in India
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 26, 2008
Crack down against moneychangers. 12 arrested including Munaf Kalia. 10 billion dollars sent abroad illegally
The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; November 9, 2008
Firing in Karachi; 8 dead, dozen of vehicles set on fire; shoot on sight order against armed persons.
The daily Jinnah, Lahore; November 30, 2008
Two constables booked for robbery (in Rawalpindi)
The daily Dawn, Lahore; November 22, 2008
Mumbai under attack Over 80 killed in series of gun and grenade attack in India’s financial hub.
The Daily Times, Lahore; November 19, 2008
Op-eds
Without honour in his own land — Prof Salam
…Salam stands as the excellent physicist of the Islamic world for a 1000 years. Not since the 11th century polymath Ibn al-Heytham has there been a more influential figure in the field… (In modern times) not since Einstein has any one scientist been so influential on the world stage. It is to Pakistan’s eternal shame that its greatest scientist was not acknowledged because of a narrow-minded intolerance towards his brand of religion. I believe that until Salam is given the respect he deserves there can be no true Islamic renaissance in science.
Jim al-Khalil’s review in the New Scientist of 5 July 2008 of Gordon Fraser’s book “Cosmic Anger: The first Muslim Nobel Scientist” published by Oxford University Press
Pak TV channels — from medium to tedium
If the anchor is bringing in ads and money he can actually cause people to be killed after declaring them defective in faith, and get away with it.
Khalid Ahmad in The Friday Times of November 7, 2008
Zia-ul-Haq
One needs to point out that before Zia-ul-Haq, people refrained from wearing their Islam on their sleeve. Much changed with him and there are no signs of recovery or any lessening of the hypocrisy that passes for belief.
Khalid Hasan in The Friday Times of November 28, 2008
The President’s speech at the UN
…… During Ms Bhutto’s two stints in office, she was unable to stand up to religious extremists in Pakistan and did nothing to repeal the discriminatory laws against Ahmadi Muslims. While her husband’s rhetoric on Thursday was a step in the right direction, it rings hollow. If Mr. Zardari really wants to be an example of Muslim tolerance, he needs to repeal the amendments and ordinances in Pakistani constitution that disenfranchise millions of voters and ban religious freedom for an entire population. Ironically, at the end of his speech, Mr. Zardari said, “Injustice and discrimination on the mere basis of one’s faith must be discouraged – not only in words but through meaningful actions.” Here’s hoping he finds the courage to follow his own advice.
Posted by Ismat Mangla in the Washington Post on November 29, 2008
Footage shot by the ABC shows Indonesian military and police officers meeting with Muslim clerics to plan persecution of an Islamic sect.
Official Blasphemy by Pakistani Authorities
Pakistani authorities removed Kalima and Names of Allah from Ahmadiyya Mosque in Lathianwala near Faisalabad, Punjab. Approximately 300 Policemen and Elite Force commandos raided Ahmadiyya houses on 10th August, 2009 to commit the shameless act of Official Blasphemy having “NO FEAR” of Allah, the Almighty.
Mob attack on Ahmadiyah Muslims in Umbulan Village, Indonesia
A Mob comprising of 1,500 religious fanatics, chanting slogans to destroy Ahmadiyah, attacked a house used by Ahmadiyah members for prayers in Umbulan Village, Cikeusik Sub district, Pandeglang District, Indonesia. About 20 Ahmadiyah followers were present in house when attackers started destroying the house, put various vehicles on fire. Three Ahmadis were brutally beaten to death after they were stripped while five sustained serious injuries. An Ahmadi who managed to save his life by showing his press card recorded this tragic incident. WARNING: This video contains some scenes of extreme violence, not fit for viewing by children or persons with weak hearts. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. ________________________
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