Bangladesh’s Secular Democracy Struggles with Violent Radical Islam

--- The Cutting Edge News

Inside Islam
Bangladesh’s Secular Democracy Struggles with Violent Radical Islam
Benedict Rogers November 24th 2008

Cutting Edge Burma Desk

Bangladesh is a country associated more with floods, cyclones and poverty than terrorism or radical Islamism. Indeed, it is a country founded on secular, democratic values and widely regarded as a moderate Muslim state. In recent years, however, militant Islamism has quietly been taking ground – and Bangladesh’s survival as a progressive state is on a knife-edge.

The warning signs have been there for some years, and some commentators have been sounding the alarm. In 2002, Ruth Baldwin wrote a piece in The Nation headlined: “The ‘Talibanisation’ of Bangladesh.” Hiranmay Karlekar wrote Bangladesh: The Next Afghanistan? While Maneeza Hossain’s Broken Pendulum: Bangladesh’s Swing to Radicalism and Ali Riaz’s God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh are all important contributions.

Perhaps the most visible and dramatic sign of the growth of extremism came three years ago. On 17 August 2005, between 11 and 11.30 am, 527 bombs were exploded in a massive attack on all but one of the country’s 64 districts. Such a carefully co-ordinated campaign of terror shocked the nation – but in many respects it was just the tip of the terror iceberg. Other terrorist incidents, including an attack on the Bangladeshi-born British High Commissioner, members of the judiciary and sporadic attacks on religious and ethnic minorities are further indicators of the presence of well-organised terrorist networks.

However, it is not simply the acts of violence that should cause concern. The Islamists’ ideological influence has spread to almost all parts of Bangladeshi society – not least the political arena.

The umbrella organisation is Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical group founded in India in 1941 by Mawlana Abul Ala Maududi. According to one analyst in Bangladesh, Jamaat’s objective is to create “a monolithic Islamic state, based on Shari’ah law, and declare jihad against Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and free-thinking Muslims.” Religious minorities – and Muslims regarded by Jamaat as heretical, such as the Ahmadiyya sect – are targeted for eviction, according to one human rights activist, “or at least to be made into a ‘non-existent’ element whose voice cannot be heard.” Jamaat’s tentacles now reach into major sectors, including banking, health care, education, business and non-profit organisations, and they aim to “destroy” the judicial system, according to one critic, including by “physically eliminating judges.” In 2001, Jamaat won 17 parliamentary seats in alliance with the governing party, the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), and became a partner in the coalition government until its overthrow by the military in 2007. Elections scheduled for next month could result in Jamaat’s return to government, if BNP wins, and even in the current caretaker administration there are believed to be Jamaat-sympathisers.

While Jamaat is the umbrella, according to journalist Shahriar Kabir and the Forum for Secular Bangladesh there are over 100 Islamist political parties and militant organisations in Bangladesh. Only four of these have been banned, and even they continue to operate under alternative names. Extremist literature, audio and video cassettes are widely distributed, and thousands of madrassas teach radical Islamism.

All this is completely at odds with the vision of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the struggle for independence from Pakistan in which at least three million were killed, ten million displaced and 250,000 women raped. According to Hiranmay Karlekar, at the heart of the birth of Bangladesh was a belief that “the Bengali identity had prevailed over the Islamic identity.” The preamble of the first constitution explicitly stated a commitment to secularism and democracy, and political parties were banned from using religion as a basis for their activities.

Bangladesh began sliding slowly towards Islamism following the assassination of Rahman in 1975. In 1977, references to secularism were deleted from the constitution and the phrase “Bismillah-Ar-Rahiman-Ar Rahim” (“In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful) was inserted. Five years later, General Ershad – one of the military dictators who ruled the country in the alternating competition between the army and the democrats – introduced the Eighth Amendment, making Islam the state religion. The constitution now states that “absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah shall be the basis of all actions.”

There remain some provisos, which give religious minorities protection. For example, while Islamic principles are set out as guiding values, the constitution states that they “shall not be judicially enforceable.” The Chief Justice has said clearly that Shari’ah does not constitute the basis of the country’s legislation. Religious freedom, including “the right to profess, practice or propagate any religion”, is protected, and discrimination on religious grounds prohibited.

Nevertheless, in practice Christians, Hindus and Buddhists are denied promotion in the government and the military and in the view of one Bangladeshi journalist, religious and ethnic minorities have seen “unprecedented persecution” in recent years.

In 1998, for example, three Christian sites in Dhaka were attacked – a Catholic girls’ school, an Anglican church and a Baptist church. A mob set fire to the school, destroyed property, burned books, pulled down a cross and smashed statues of the Virgin Mary and St Francis of Assisi. Death threats were issued from the nearby mosque. Since then, sporadic attacks on churches have escalated. In 2007, at least five churches were attacked. Hindus and Ahmadiyyas face similar violence.

Cases of abduction, rape, forced marriage and forced conversion of religious minority women – and particularly young girls – are increasing, in a trend worryingly reminiscent of Pakistan. On 13 February 2007, for example, Shantona Rozario, an 18 year-old Christian student, was kidnapped. She was forced at gunpoint to sign a marriage document with her kidnapper, and an affidavit for conversion to Islam, witnessed by a lawyer, a mullah and a group of young men. After a month she managed to escape, but others are not so fortunate. On April 30 of this year a 14 year-old Christian girl, Bituni de Silva, was raped at gunpoint, and on May 2 a 13 year-old daughter of a pastor was gang-raped.

Apostates in Bangladesh face similar severe consequences for leaving Islam as they do throughout the world. On 1 February this year, a 70 year-old woman convert to Christianity from Islam, Rahima Beoa, died from burns suffered when her home was set ablaze after her conversion.

In 2004, a Jamaat Member of Parliament attempted to introduce a blasphemy law in Bangladesh, modelled on Pakistan’s notorious legislation. Attempts have been made to ban Ahmadiyya literature. And even during the State of Emergency, when protests and processions are supposed to be banned, extremists led by groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir have held angry rallies. On 17 September 2007, for example, a cartoon was published in a satirical magazine, Alpin, featuring a conversation between a child and an imam, in which the boy was told that he should always use the prefix ‘Mohammed’ before a name. The boy then decided to call his cat “Mohammed Cat.” The cartoon sparked outrage, and effiges of the newspaper editor were burned in street protests. The cartoonist and the editor were arrested, charged with sedition, and the publication was closed down. In April this year, large protests were held after Friday prayers in major cities, opposing the government’s plans to legitimate women’s rights in the constitution. Maulana Fazlul Haq, chairman of the Islami Oikya Jote, described such a policy as “anti-Qu’ran” and “anti-Islamic.”

An estimated 2.5 million people in Bangladesh belong to indigenous ethnic tribal groups, sometime sknown as “Adibashis.” There are at least 40 different ethnic groups, mainly inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the plains area around Mymensingh. Most of these tribal groups are non-Muslim – predominantly Buddhist, Christian and Animist. Since the late 1970s, the Bangladeshi government has actively sponsored the resettlement of Bengali Muslims into the tribal areas – resulting in the construction of mosques, land-grabbing, evictions and discrimination against non-Muslims. One indigenous rights campaigner said: “Our way of life is an open society. Men and women can work anywhere. We are more flexible on gender issues. But the settlers have come in and built mosques, and they use their loudspeakers which affects us culturally and psychologically.”

In one village near Mymensingh, for example, a Bengali Muslim married a Christian from a tribal group. All the other villagers are Christians. After a few years, he decided he needed a mosque – even though he was the only Muslim in the area. So now he is building a mosque – and the likelihood is he will bring in an imam, who will bring his family, who will bring their relatives: and the slow, subtle, insidious repopulation of a non-Muslim, non-Bengali area will unfold. When I visited the remote jungle village, the atmosphere was tense – and the imam, sitting at the mosque construction site, was unwelcoming.

The prediction of Bangladesh’s “Talibanisation” may sound extreme, and in the immediate term the likelihood of Bangladesh becoming like Afghanistan is far-fetched. Bangladesh has not gone as far down the road of radicalisation as Pakistan, for example. Nevertheless, the warnings need to be taken seriously. If it continues as it is, Bangladesh will go the way of Pakistan – and then the risk of Talibanisation becomes realistic.

Indeed, it is Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that are fuelling the Islamisation of Bangladesh. As one person put it, “Pakistan is the breeding ground and the brain, and Saudi Arabia provides the money.” Saudi Arabia is a major funder of madrassas and mosques in Bangladesh, for example – and it is no coincide that Wahhabi teaching is on the rise.

A prominent church leader predicts that full Shari’ah law will be implemented if the situation does not change. “Some day, it will happen. Maybe not immediately, but it will happen … The support of voices in the international community is very much needed. More people need to come and find out what is happening here.” As Ali Riaz says, “there is no doubt that if the present trend continues, the nation will inevitably slide further down the slope toward a regime with a clear Islamist agenda … What is necessary is a decisive change in the direction of the nation.” Such a decisive change is vital, to restore the founding principles of Bangladesh – secularism, democracy, equal rights. There is still a thriving civil society, with bold intellectuals, journalists and human rights activists willing to challenge radical Islamism – and that is a cause for hope. Bangladesh has not been lost to radical Islamism completely – but it will be if the alarm bells are not heard.

Cutting Edge Contributor Benedict Rogers is a human rights activist with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and serves as Deputy Chairman of the UK Conservative Party's Human Rights Commission. He is the author of A Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People (Monarch, 2004).

URL: www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?...e=Features

Monthly Newsreport - Ahmadiyya Persecution in Pakistan - October, 2008

Extensive and unending evil of the Ahmadi-specific laws
Eight more Ahmadis arrested in Rabwah in a dubious case

Rabwah: It was reported last month that 10 Ahmadi traders had been booked with FIR 443/08 of September 5, 2008 under Ahmadi-specific clauses PPC 298-B and 298-C. The FIR accused them of hurting the sentiments of Muslims using Arabic words like ‘Khilafat خلافت’ and ‘Imam امام’ etc in a Ramadan calendar and claiming unjustifiably these words belonged exclusively to Muslims. The accused face three years’ imprisonment under this spurious accusation. It is indeed astonishing that the state of Pakistan and the province of Punjab should be wasting their scarce police and judicial resources pursing such ridiculous accusations. This month among the many other incidents of terrorism one was the death of 113 in a suicide attack in Orakzai Agency on October 11, while in another incident 15 troops were killed in Swat by militants. In Rabwah, at the demand of the extremists, the authorities booked another 8 Ahmadis under the same FIR No. 443/08. It seems the government has very much lost its way.

Earlier, the first 8 detainees were behind bars as their temporary ‘bail before arrest’ had been cancelled. A judge granted their plea for ‘bail after arrest’ on October 28, 2008, and the authorities released them.

Subsequent to the arrest of those accused, the police investigated eight more individuals. They hurried to avail the ‘bail before arrest’ provision. However, they had to present themselves a few days later for confirmation of the bail. The judge, for reasons known only to him, decided to reject the confirmation. The police arrested them immediately and locked them up. Their names are listed below:

1. Mr. Naseeb Ahmad Anwar; a brick-kiln owner
2. Mr. Danial Ahmad; a 14 years old
3. Mr. Muhammad Abdulla Khan; proprietor of an electric store
4. Mr. Asif Jamil; movie maker
5. Mr. Akbar Latif; pharmacist
6. Mr.Maqbul Ahmad Gondal of Gondal Tent Service
7. Mr. Abdul Majeed of Zeeshan Shopping Centre
8. Mr. Atiqur Rehman; a property dealer.
   

These peaceful citizens are now behind bars. Only a few days earlier, the senior minister of their province, Raja Riaz said: Minorities have equal rights (The News; October 13, 2008). The weekly Time apparently knows the situation here better than the minister. It commented: It takes a big bomb to make a point in Pakistan these days. (Time; October 6, 2008)

A deadly attack on yet another Ahmadi district Amir

Haripur, NWFP; October 29, 2008: Subsequent to the assassination of two Ahmadi presidents of district communities in Sindh in September, another was attacked, this time in NWFP. He is also a doctor, like Dr Siddiqui of Mirpur Khas.

A man named Abbas came to Dr Muhammad Aslam’s clinic posing as a patient. There he attacked the doctor with a dagger, and shouted: Tu Qadiani hai; tu Qadiani hai (You are a Qadiani; you are a Qadiani). He was able to stab his victim four times before he could be stopped. The doctor was wounded twice in the head, and once each in the neck and hand. When the doctor’s assistants tried to grab the attacker, he threatened them to keep clear shouting that he was a suicide bomber. Nevertheless, they caught hold of him and brought him under control.

Dr Aslam was taken to a nearby hospital, where a surgeon attended to him. He has apparently survived the attack, although he will take time to recover fully.

The assailant is under 20. He told the police that he is a resident of Bajida, District Haripur.

Thankfully the assailant has been caught, perhaps now the police should be able to find out who he was supported by. It might lead to a group which prompts and organizes the murder of selected Ahmadis. The local daily Mohasib of October 30, 2008 commented: “Startling disclosures are expected.”

Yet another anti-Ahmadiyya conference permitted and held in Rabwah

Rabwah: October 30 and 31, 2008: With the permission of the authorities the mullas converged on Rabwah from all over Pakistan to hold a sectarian anti-Ahmadiyya conference here. Earlier this year major open-air conferences were held by clerics at Rabwah in March and September. There is no apparent reason for them to come all the way to Rabwah except provocation. It costs them money to transport their audience from other towns, but perhaps money is no problem, as the clerics manage to get donations from major foreign donors. Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the self-appointed spokesman for the Taliban is a regular advocate and participant of this annual event. The conference produced little except hatred, provocation, security concern, social unrest and politics, both national and international. The vernacular press spared plenty of space to reproduce the press-release of the conference organizers. The daily Jang, Lahore of November 1, 2008 reported the following excerpts from the speeches, inter alia:

• The US aims at liquidating the Mujahideen, in the name of terror.
• The US is using the language similar to the Soviets in Afghanistan. If the US gets a foothold there, it will affect the whole region.
• 5000 key-posts in the country are occupied by Qadianis, Christians and Jews.
• If the current policies continue, the NWFP will not remain in step with Pakistan.
• Maulana Abdul Aziz (of Lal Masjid, Islamabad) should be set free forthwith; the Jamia Hafsa should be rebuilt, and all police cases against the Tulaba of Jamia Faridia should be withdrawn.
• All political leaders including President Zardari should bring back their wealth from foreign banks to put an end to the financial crisis.
• The religion-column should be added to the national identity card. Non-Muslims should be given identity cards of a colour different than that for Muslims.
• Admission forms for all educational institutions should have affirmation regarding Safeguarding the End of Prophethood.
• Pakistanis have to fight against the licentious culture of the West. etc, etc.
  

Among those who attended and addressed the conference, the following are worthy of mention:

• Maulvi Fazlur Rahman (the JUI chief)
• Liaquat Baloch (a heavyweight of JI)
• Mufti Saeed Ahmad Jalalpuri (a rabid mullah from Karachi)
• Mulla Alam Tariq (a brother of mulla Azam Tariq of the banned Lashkar Jhangvi)
• Mulla Ahmad Mian Hamaadi (a full-time sectarian activist from Sindh)
• Mulla Allah Wasaya [self-styled Shaheen (a bird of prey) Khatme Nabuwwat]
• Mulla Aziz-ur-Rehman Jalandhry (excels in bad-mouthing others)
  

The participants were led by the stage to shout slogans, inter alia:

• Mirzaiat – Murdah bad (Death to Ahmadiyyat)
• Hang the blasphemers
• Long live the Crown and Throne of Prophecy
  

(It is interesting that the participants wished long life to the crown and throne of Prophecy in a conference that was called in the name of safeguarding (Tahaffuz) the End of Prophecy.)

The speakers sprang a surprise and came up with a fresh demand this time, in that:

• There are six hundred Pakistani Qadianis that are enrolled in the Israeli Army; their aim is to facilitate the enemy state’s attack on Pakistan.
• Qadianis indulge in despicable efforts to administer Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) on the lines of Israel.
• Rejection of Qadianiat (Radde Qadianiat ???? ????????) should be made a part of the state schools syllabus.
  

The following is also noteworthy:

• Maulvi Alam Tariq, the brother of Azam Tariq of the banned Lashkar Jhangvi arrived at the site at 3:00 A.M. and left immediately after speaking to the audience.
• Maulvi Fazlur Rahman joined the conference after the Friday congregation. He arrived in style in a convoy of six vehicles. In his speech he told a deliberate lie that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani had declared himself to be planted by the English. He also fabricated the charge that the attacks on Islamic countries (Aalam-e-Islam) were a Qadiani conspiracy. The release of Dr Abdul Qadeer was also demanded in the conference.

The local Ahmadiyya Community took adequate security precautions to protect itself against any incursion by these unwelcome visitors. Women were asked to stay indoors during these two days. Girl students were told to not to go to school. The authorities posted extra police personnel to discourage the mulla from creating any disorder.

Why immunity to politicians in the garb of religion?

Sargodha; October 23, 2008: Mullas continue to claim immunity from legal action and to avail unbridled freedom of speech, under the protective shade of religion. We have previously produced evidence in these reports that these clerics promote their politics in the name of Khatme Nabuwwat. Recently the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat held an open-air conference at Sargodha, and the daily Jang, Lahore reported its proceedings on 24 October 2008 under three column headlines that are translated below to prove this point:

Snap ties with US and formulate policies in accord with the People’s wishes. — Khatme Nabuwwat conference
Negotiations should be held and (military) operation should be halted; Qadianis’ activities should be monitored in Kahuta and other national institutions
Zahid ur Rashidi, Maulana Allah Wasaya, Muhammad Ahmad Luddhianwi, Mufti Abdul Moeed and Abdul Majeed Shah’s address
Load-shedding, inflation and unemployment should be ended; those who threaten Pakistan’s security should be exposed. — Resolution

It is reasonable to suggest that if the mulla wants to play politics at a national and international level, the relevant rules, should apply to him as well, and he should not be treated as “Ulama Karam”.

According to the daily Jang, among the clerics who participated were Abdullah Shah Mazhar, Akram Toofani, Sahibzada Aziz Ahmad, Mufti Tahir Masud, Muhammad Ramazan and Qari Abdul Waheed. Haji Aslam, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed and Abdur Razzaq Dhillon also addressed the crowd.

Freedom of religion, assembly and speech to Ahmadis!

Rabwah: In the month of October 2008 the Nazir Amur Aama (Director Public Affairs) of the Ahmadiyya Central Office wrote a letter to the authorities concerned on the issue of the permission granted to the Anti-Ahmadiyya Khatme Nabuwwat mullas to hold another open-air conference at Rabwah and the denial of the same permission to Ahmadis in their own town. This self-explanatory letter, written in Urdu, is translated below:

Sir,

According to the press reports a Khatme Nabuwwat Conference is scheduled at Rabwah by the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat on October 30 and 31, 2008. As usual, the speakers will make anti-Ahmadiyya provocative speeches and issue statements there. Rabwah is a unique town in that the Government of the Punjab renamed it Nawan Qadian against the wishes of the local population, only to please a few outsiders. After the Notification, the government was conveyed the concern that the revised imposed name of ‘Nawan Qadian’ would perhaps be acceptable to the residents; thus the objective of hurting their sentiments would not be adequately achieved. So they issued a fresh official notification that further changed the name of the town to Chenab Nagar. In fact there are numerous such hurtful impositions on Ahmadis here. I propose now to highlight only one of these.

For the last quarter of a century, residents of this town have been deprived of their fundamental right of assembly. Ahmadis established this town on a barren piece of purchased land. At present more than 50,000 Ahmadis live here. Earlier, Ahmadis would assemble here five times every year and participate in moral and spiritual improvement seminars and programs. The government apparently did not approve of this peaceful pursuit, so it decided to forbid them this basic human right through executive orders. Now, every year Ahmadis request to hold their annual conference, and the authorities fail to even acknowledge the receipt of the letter. Please consider the discrimination practiced in case of others.

A few others, non-Ahmadis, who have been planted in Rabwah, enjoy complete freedom to hold conferences here and invite the speakers from outside. They undertake slander and provocation against the most respected elders of Ahmadis who form 95% of the town’s population. The organizers and speakers at these conferences violate official rules and directions, and are not held accountable for them. The participants then form processions, provoke the local population and precipitate a threat to law and order. Consequently the government tells Ahmadis to remain at home, but does not order the provocateurs to disperse.

These are the facts. The police reports and agencies’ records support all this. In view of such unfair treatment one must wonder what has happened to the basic right of assembly and why it is denied to Ahmadis. Also:

• If this basic human right is allowed by the Constitution of Pakistan, why is it denied in this town?
• Is this not blatant discrimination based on faith?
  

In the light of these questions, would it not be fair to permit Ahmadis to hold their peaceful assemblies in Rabwah, and forbid those conferences that promote only hatred and intolerance, especially when the government claims to be liberal, enlightened and democratic?

Yours sincerely,

Saleemuddin
Nazir Umur Aama, Chenab Nagar (Rabwah)

Hunting down Ahmadis in educational institutions

A story under the title above was included in the monthly News Report for August 2008. Part of it is reproduced here:

It is a matter of great concern that the authorities have perhaps already undertaken this ugly exercise. In an article by Raja Asrar Ahmad Abbasi, titled “There is need for correct data regarding Ahmadis” in the Daily Ausaf, Lahore of August 7, 2008, he mentioned: “One is encouraged by a recent report that data regarding Mirzai male and female students of schools and colleges is being collected. But it is surprising that this is being done through local police through letters and replies…”
Strange are the ways of this state.

It is now confirmed that the authorities did indulge in this unbecoming, unnecessary and discriminatory exercise. This reminds one of Nazi Germany!

Malicious and injurious accusation

Nankana Sahib: Here is a typical case that shows how far some elements of society go to harm Ahmadis in the name of religion and Khatme Nabuwwat. It says little on the moral and intellectual health of society in Pakistan.

Three months ago activists of the Khatme Nabuwwat organization put up defamatory posters on a wall in Nankana Sadar. Someone tore off one of these and the group rushed to the police to lodge a complaint against 16 Ahmadis for Blasphemy. The police registered the case, raided Ahmadi homes and detained individuals. One of those arrested was an elderly gentleman, Dr Asghar Abdul Rahman. They held him as the prime suspect and interrogated him vigorously for days. Both the magistrate and the judge refused his plea for bail and he remained in a lock-up for weeks. Eventually, by 10th September 2008, the investigation was completed, and the police concluded that the doctor was not the one who tore down the poster.

On September 11 Muhammad Malik, the complainant in the above case was on his way back from the mosque after the night prayers (Isha) when two men on a motor-cycle overtook him, and shot him dead.

Boota, the father of Malik, in consultation with his advisors, approached the police and had an FIR registered in which he named two Ahmadis as the murderers and two of their non-Ahmadi friends as the helpers in the attack. He mentioned in the complaint that Ahmadis killed his son because he was the complainant in the Blasphemy case, and as such instrumental in the arrest of Dr Asghar. Mr. Tahir Nadeem, one of the Ahmadi accused is a son of Dr Asghar while Mr. Rashid the other accused is the doctor’s nephew. Now, rather than releasing Dr Asghar whom they had found innocent of the alleged blasphemy, they arrested his son and nephew. They also arrested a third accused, while a fourth one went into hiding for fear of the police. But this was not the end of the matter.

Subsequent to the incident and the police raids, Ahmadis were harassed and feared unbearable hardships, so they fled from the village. Their women also went away to a nearby village; the police held them the next day. However, they released them when their men presented themselves to the police. On Friday, hundreds of protesters, spurred and agitated by the mulla took to the street and threatened to set fire to Ahmadis’ homes. The police were good enough to dissuade them. They even transported some Ahmadi women to safety in another village Chak Ahatah Langah. The mulla had created serious communal tension.

Ahmadis told the police that the complainant, his advisors and the mullas had all made false accusations against Ahmadis. Someone else had assassinated Malik for their own reasons and to settle a personal score, and to do so he had availed of the prevailing sectarian dispute and the so-called Blasphemy case. Such treachery is well-known to Punjabi villagers and mullas, and the police know it.

The senior leadership of the Khatme Nabuwwat with the help of the vernacular press propagated the fabrication that Ahmadis had killed a Khatme Nabuwwat activist. For example, the daily Ausaf, Lahore of September 13, 2008 reported the fabrication under a three column headline, as below:

Nankana: Qadianis assassinated a youth who had reported to the police their Blasphemy
Qadiani Dr Asghar had defiled the good name of the Holy Prophet, for which he was arrested and sent to prison.
Muhammad Malik was on his way home after Taravih prayers when the doctor’s men shot at him. The leaders of the Khatme Nabuwwat arrived at the scene.

The paper named mulla Abdul Hameed Rehmani, Mehr Aslam Nasir, Nazim Shaukat Ali Shahid, Liaquat Ali Kachhi, Chaudhry Arshad, Shaheen Parwaz, Akram Naz, Muhammad Sarwar as the Khatme Nabuwwat leaders who arrived at the scene (and provided advice to Boota to have the FIR registered with the police, which he did).

The information department of the Khatme Nabuwwat Movement spared no effort to make maximum gain out of the murder. They approached column-writers and pseudo intellectuals of the vernacular press to write op-eds which they did without making any inquiry into the incident. In fact, had any of the innocent accused been hanged, these divines and writers would have been guilty of complicity to murder.

The police kept the three detainees in a police station at Warburton. They tortured the two Ahmadis to draw confessions from them. However, the police also extended their inquiry and investigated other possibilities. Approximately four weeks later, they tracked the actual assassins and arrested one of them, Habib who admitted having committed the crime. At this, the police released all the three detainees and declared them innocent.

It is relevant to mention here that the complainant Boota, had it recorded in the FIR that “Nadeem son of Asghar Ali was armed with a 12-bore gun” while “Rashid son of Sarwar was armed with a pistol” – also “the accused Nadeem hurled the challenge ‘teach Muhammad Malik a lesson for getting the police case registered against us, at which… the accused Nadeem also fired his 12 bore gun and hit Muhammad Malik in the face, and he fell down wounded.” All fabrications; all lies.

The entire Ahmadiyya Community of the village Chak 4, Bhagwanpura has suffered greatly during the last four months through these two fabricated accusations. The mulla has been instrumental not only in harassing Ahmadis, but also causing a murder, avoidable litigation, sorrow for the family of the deceased, social unrest and a breakdown in communal peace in an otherwise peaceful and harmonious rural community. Allama Iqbal was not off the mark when he concluded: Deen-e-mulla fi sabilillah fasad (The creed of the mulla is to create disorder and mischief in the name of God). The case throws a flood of light on a similar case in Chak Sikandar, where three Ahmadis have been sentenced to death under similar circumstances, and are in the sixth year of their incarceration awaiting a hearing of their appeal in the Lahore High Court. The police, after repeated investigations had found them innocent, but the judicial system has still pushed them with death sentences.

Rabwah: deprived of drinking water

Rabwah; October 2008: The Daily Express of October 16, 2008 reported the following:

Water not available. Residents of Chenab Nagar start migration.

Worshippers turn to Tayamum (ablution with dust); forewarn of protest (gherao). Bursting of the main pipe is the cause –Town Council

Chenab Nagar: (correspondent). Residents of Chenab Nagar have moved from the affected areas on account of non-availability of water. The problem has been persisting for the last ten days, and people now have to buy (expensive) bottled mineral water. It is a pity that on account of non-availability of water in the mosques, worshippers have to use dust to simulate ablution. The Town Council is insensitive to their plight in that they have not taken due notice of this for the last ten days. According to the Town officials, the main supply line burst. Its repair was undertaken, but it burst again due to water pressure. The residents, however, state that the Council gave the repair task to unskilled laborers rather than qualified technicians, so the repairs did not last even one day. The affected residents have warned that they will have no option but to protest strongly (gherao of the offices) for which the entire responsibility will be that of the TMA (Tehsil Municipal Administration) Chiniot.

'Moral education' in a school at Sialkot!

Sialkot: Naqsh Lasani High School (registered with Gujranwala Board) claims to hold ‘First position in Sialkot.’ It published its ‘syllabus for Morality’ for the First Term in September 2007. Its copy became available recently. Excerpts from its Question-Answer section are translated below:

Q. What wine did Mirza Qadiani drink?
A. Tonic Wine of E Plomer.
Q. How did Mirza Qadiani button up his shirt?
A. He would button up the upper button in the lower hole and the lower button in the
upper hole.
Q. Where did Mirza Qadiani die?
A. In a latrine.

Well, this is the kind of ‘morality’ that is being taught to teen-age student at a school that claims to be the best in Sialkot and is registered officially with the state Board.

The Ahmadiyya headquarters have informed the authorities of this outrage. Action is still awaited.

Anti-Ahmadiyya activism gains momentum

Lahore: The daily Pakistan, Lahore of October 14, 2008 published a news item under a three-column headline, reporting the schedule of a multi-party anti-Ahmadiyya planning meeting at Lahore on October 19, 2008. The daily’s headlines:

Qadianis’ heightened activities: meeting of religious parties called in October.
The meeting will deliberate upon the lobbying of higher circles and the efforts to sabotage hundred years’ Shariah, constitutional and legal achievements in the field of End of Prophethood.
Problems of MQM’s Altaf Hussain’s open support to Qadianis and imposition of still more Qadianis on key posts will be looked into.

The detailed story mentioned that:

1. The meeting had been called by a) Zahid ur Rashidi of Pakistan Shariah Council, b) Mulla Ilyas Chinioti, the Amir of International Khatme Nabuwwat Movement and, c) Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema of Majlis Ahrar Islam.
2. The invitees are:
   
   • Jamiat Ulama Islam (JUI)
   • Jamaat Islami (JI)
   • The banned Millat Islamia (former SSP)
   • Jamiat Ulama Pakistan (JUP)
   • Jamiat Ahle Hadith
   • Jamaat Al-Dawaa Pakistan (the banned Lashkar Taiba)
   • Khaksar Tehrik
   • Pakistan Shariat Council
   • International Khatme Nabuwwat Movement
   • Majlis Ahrar Islam
3. The proclaimed aim is to further promote the agenda of a joint effort of the religious parties and to re-organize the Khatme Nabuwwat movement on contemporary lines.

It should be noted that:

• Parties that are officially banned for their terrorist activities were also invited.
• All the invited groups favour the Taliban and the ongoing militancy.
• All the invited groups thrive on sectarian activities and do not shun violence.
• Majlis Ahrar Islam is the party that was anti-Pakistan prior to its Independence, and attempted great harm to the country in the 1953 agitation, as was concluded by the high level judicial commission in its “Report of the Court of Inquiry constituted under Punjab Act II of 1954 to enquire into the PUNJAB DISTURBANCES OF 1953.”
• Mulla Ilyas Chinioti, MPA joined the PML (N) after his recent election to the Punjab Assembly and claims close relations with PML (N) leadership.
  

This multi-party meeting has been called in these days when forces of terrorism and militancy pose a serious threat to be stability of the Pakistani state. The issue of the End of Prophethood is most likely a cover.

E-mail exhorting terrorism

Hyderabad: Qureshi Bros, a business-house owned by Ahmadis in Hyderabad received an unusual E-mail this month. It is in Urdu. Its English translation is provided below:

For general information

Qadianis, their businesses and their homes will all be blown to dust.
O Muslim, expel them from your trade centers so that you do not lose business.
Inform us of the Qadianis at the address given below, and thus participate in Jihad.
E mail: Kill-the-qadyanis-2008@ yahoo.com

The message apparently relates to commerce, and is aimed at getting rid of Ahmadi competition. Terrorism is seen to be the only answer they have on any issue.

Joint session adopts resolution

Islamabad; October 21, 2008: The Joint Session of the two houses of parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling for “an urgent review of the national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability….”

Some extracts of this important resolution should be placed on record of this Report so as to facilitate reference to it later. Excerpts:
“This in-camera joint session of parliament has noted with great concern that extremism, militancy and terrorism in all forms and manifestations pose a grave danger to the stability and integrity of the nation-state. It was recalled that in the past the dictatorial regimes pursued policies aimed at perpetuating their own power at the cost of the national interest.
…
“The challenge of militancy and extremism must be met through developing a consensus and dialogue with all genuine stakeholders.
“The nation stands united to combat this growing menace, with a strong public message condemning all forms and manifestations of terrorism, including the spread of sectarian hatred and violence with a firm resolve to combat it and to address its root causes.
“That the state shall maintain the rule of law….
“That the federation must be strengthened through the process of democratic pluralism, social justice, religious values and tolerance and equitable resource sharing between the provinces as enshrined in the Constitution of 1973.”

It is hoped that the government and the legislators will all remember their present findings and resolve, and will not be discriminative and selective about them. One is reminded that in the past few weeks two Ahmadi leaders were assassinated in Sindh and all the Ahmadi students of the medical college at Faisalabad were rusticated, but no political leader, except one brave soul residing in London, took a stand in public that these were great wrongs that had been committed. One hopes that the democratic leadership will not succumb to the temptation of pursuing “policies aimed at perpetrating their own power” like the past “dictatorial regimes”.

The government’s response this month in Azad Kashmir towards holding a conference by the sectarian extremists of the Khatme Nabuwwat faction deserves tribute.
Update on the Punjab Medical College Faisalabad case

Faisalabad: It should be recalled that the college administration rusticated all the Ahmadi students five months ago in June 2008. Subsequent to the protest from various quarters, the higher authorities took note and undertook a damage control exercise.

Subsequent to the various inquiries and investigations in the events of the PMC, the Health Department of the Government of the Punjab permitted 15 of the 23 Ahmadi students to continue their studies at the PMC. They are now attending the college and the female students are residing in the hostel. The government, with approval of the Chief Minister, has issued a notification for the rest of the 8 students, three male and five female, to be transferred to other colleges, as listed below:

1. Miss Sanaa Nasir 1st year F.J. Medical College Lahore
2. Miss Hina Munawwar Bajwa 2nd year Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore
3. Miss Shamama tul Anbar 2nd year Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore
4. Miss Robina Aslam 2nd year Services Institute Medical College Lahore
5. Miss Noshin Zafar 3rd year Services Institute Medical College Lahore
6. Mr. Mohammad Zeeshan 4th year Nishtar Medical College Multan
7. Syed Hasan Ahmad 3rd year Sh. Zaid Medical College Rahim Yar Khan
8. Syed Ehsan Ahmad 3rd year Quaid-i-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur

The first six students have joined their colleges. The last two at Serial 7 & 8 have sent an application to the Governor and the Chief Minister that the decision is discriminatory and they should also be transferred to Lahore as the situation in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan is tense.

It is relevant to mention that the police sent for all the Ahmadi students individually for investigation, and have concluded the inquiry; however the police case registered as FIR has not been quashed. Also, no case was registered against any of the non-Ahmadi students or teachers who precipitated the riot and the tumult in the first place.

'God moves in mysterious way
His wonders to perform'

Faisalabad; September 2008: Here is an inspiring story; worth telling and placing on record.

A man named Imtiaz Shah lived in Faisalabad for years. He appeared to be religious, but regrettably he was not a good man. He joined the Khatme Nabuwwat faction and became a rabid activist after the promulgation of the notorious anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX in 1984. He was always on the lookout to implicate Ahmadis in the mischief of this law, and succeeded greatly. He was instrumental in implicating no less than 150 Ahmadis in various police cases. He also made it a habit to shout insults at any Ahmadi he came across, even women. He would often turn violent if his victim protested. He was booked by the police in Hudood cases (sex-related). The authorities knew him to be an evil man; they expelled him once from the city for a few months.

He returned, more active than before. He committed an assault on an Ahmadi, Zaheer Ahmad and injured him grievously. His victim did not live long after the incident.

On November 14, 2002, Imtiaz Shah, accompanied by an associate Rafaqat, intercepted an Ahmadi, Mr. Abdul Waheed in the bazaar at about 1100. While Rafaqat held Waheed firmly, Imtiaz stabbed him with a dagger. When Abdul Waheed fell, the murderer announced to the people nearby that he had dispatched a Qadiani and told them not to help the victim. Waheed was thereafer taken to a hospital where he died. He is survived by his widow and three daughters aged 6, 4, and 2.

The next day Imtiaz Shah reported to the police station and proudly admitted to have performed a religious duty. the police arrested him and Rafaqat, and sent the case to an Anti-Terrorism Court. The judge sentenced Imtiaz Shah to death and Rafaqat to life imprisonment. Later, a sessions judge unjustly set Rafaqat free.

The grieved party and Imtiaz Shah both appealed to the High Court. The High Court surprisingly endorsed Rafaqat’s acquittal, and provided further relief to Imtiaz Shah by reducing his sentence to mere seven years in prison. This was unprecedented in legal history, under the circumstances of the case.

Ahmadis, thereafter, approached the Supreme Court that apex court set aside the High Court decision. The presiding judge of the Supreme Court refused to consider the complaint, and summarily and arrogantly announced his verdict to endorse the High Court decision (Guess who the Chief Justice was!). He dismissed the case within a few minutes.

In the second half of 2008, Imtiaz Shah was looking forward to his impending freedom. He sent threatening messages from the prison to Ahmadis that he would ‘take care’ of them on his release. Ahmadis felt disturbed at the prospects. In the situation that prevails in Pakistan, Ahmadis have turned to God and pray every day: “O Allah, we make Thee a shield against the opponents and seek Thy protection against their evil designs”. It seems God decided to intervene on behalf of these victims of violence.

In the recent weeks, Imtiaz Shah’s behavior became rather erratic in the prison, and he appeared disordered. On October 5, 2008 he had a heart attack. He was shifted to the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad where he died. Three days later, on October 8, Rafaqat, his helper in the murder of Mr. Abdul Waheed also had a cardiac arrest and failed to recover. Then only two days later, one of their principal influences, Bashir A Makon also had a heart attack and died on October 10, 2008. Thus, within only five days, these three public enemies of the Ahmadi community came to naught in Faisalabad.

‘God don’t come when you want Him but He’s right on time.’ (anon. jazz historian, in Tennessee William’s Memoirs)

Ahmadis behind bars

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Dr. Muhammad Asghar was arrested on a fabricated charge of blasphemy. The judge rejected his plea for bail.
4. Rana Khalil Ahmad, an elderly and disabled gentleman, is detained for allegedly writing a letter to a cleric.
5. Another eight Ahmadis in Rabwah were arrested in the Ramadan calendars case after their temporary bails were cancelled by the judge.
   

From the press

Haripur’s renowned doctor Aslam suffered grievous injuries in a murderous attack.
I attacked him for being a Qadiani; the accused told the press.

The daily Mohasib, Abotabad; October 30, 2008

Two-day Khatme Nabuwwat conference will be held at Chenab Nagar on 30, 31 October.

The daily Jang, Lahore; October 20, 2008

Chenab Nagar: (Correspondent) Eight out of 16 traders’ bail was cancelled, and they were sent to prison under the Anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance.

The daily Jang, Lahore; October 20, 2008

Minorities have equal rights. — Raja (Riaz, Senior Minister in Punjab)

The daily News, Lahore; October 13, 2008

Mulla-led movements have always caused nothing but mischief (Fitna). — Prof Rafiq Akhtar

The daily Aman, Faisalabad; October 13, 2008

Break ties with US and formulate policies in accord with peoples’ wishes. — Khatme Nabuwwat Conference at Sargodha.

The daily Jang, Lahore; October 24, 2008

Qazi announces train march against US hits.

The daily Post, Lahore; October 05, 2008

The Third Crusade is underway. Muslims are under attack under Jewish plan. — Dr Israr Ahmad

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; October 19, 2008

600 Qadianis from Pakistan have enrolled in the Israeli Army. Qadianis collected huge donations for Indian Army in Kargil campaign. Jewish researcher

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; October 06, 2008

We shall continue to hold Khatme Nabuwwat conferences under the patronage of Pir Atiq ur Rahman (of Azad Kashmir). We shall go wherever required to crush Qadianiat. — Abdul Hamid Qadri

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; October 23, 2008

Chenab Nagar: Life paralyzed due (electric) load-shedding. Electric supply interrupted on fabricated excuse of repairs.

The daily Aman, Faisalabad; October 14, 2008

30 days prove insufficient to provide water to Chenab Nagar.

The daily Jang, Lahore; October 24, 2008

Punjab University administration takes over control of 4 rooms in Hostel No.1 that were occupied by the Jamiat (IJT) for four decades. The administration took this action through a committee, after recovery of fire-arms from hostels, Fax machine, computers, posters and other equipment from Room Nos. 139, 140, 141 and 142.
The action is illegal. Liaquat Baloch
IJT used these rooms for political purposes, to beat up students and to intimidate non-student elements. University administration
…
(Excerpt). Professor Dr Saeed Ahmad Nagra, the Chairman of the Hall Council told the daily Pakistan: The Jamiat occupied these rooms since long before and used them for political activities, to beat up and intimidate university students, and to provide accommodation to non-student personnel. One of the rooms was designated as a Rest House. He stated that the university had simply restored its writ and has done nothing illegal. “IJI has designated someone as ‘Nazim Jamiat’; he is not even a student at the university. We shall now make suitable alterations to these rooms and use them as store and residential spaces for security guards,” he said.

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; October 01, 2008

Fazl (ur Rahman) emerges as ‘Taliban spokesman’ in Parliament.

The Daily Times, Lahore; October 17, 2008

Suicidal attacks within Pakistan are prohibited by Shariah (Haram) and unlawful (Najaiz). — Undisputed edict of the Mutahidda Ulama Council

The daily Jinnah, Lahore; October 15, 2008

Mutahidda Ulama Council’s edict (fatwa) has no sanction; a committee will be formed of the recognized ulama. — Pakistan Ulama Council

The daily Jinnah, Lahore; October 15, 2008

False claimant to Prophecy arrested in Toba Tek Singh. Booked under the Blasphemy law.
The accused published his claim in a book. Distributors of the book also arrested.

The Daily Express, Faisalabad; October 20, 2008

Orakzai Agency: 113 dead in suicide attack

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; October 12, 2008

15 troops killed in Swat ambush

The daily Dawn, Lahore; October 23, 2008

9 killed in suicide attack on Mardan DIG’s convoy

The Daily Times, Lahore; Nov 01, 2008

Bomber mows down 50 in attack in jirga (in Kuram Agency)

The daily Dawn, Lahore; October 11, 2008

Suicide blast at PML-N MP’s house kills 25 (at Bhakkar)

The Daily Times, Lahore; October 07,2008

(Mulla) Fazlullah announces ‘conditional amnesty’ for pro-govt leaders
Taliban chief in Swat says those who renounce support for army won’t be killed.

The Daily Times, Lahore; October 09, 2008

Series of blasts panics Lahories. Seven injured as remote-controlled bombs target three juice shops in Garhi Shahu

The Daily Times, Lahore; October 08, 2008

The government should change its policies, otherwise NWFP will break away. — Fazlur Rahman

The Daily Express, Faisalabad; Nov 01, 2008

Op-eds

On Pakistan

It takes a big bomb to make a point in Pakistan these days.

The weekly Time, U.S.; October 06, 2008

Hobbling along

Our moth-eaten Pakistan will hobble along, led as it always has been since 1948 by men endowed with mediocrity or men endowed with moral depravation, until, God’s infinite grace, it rights itself and follows the path envisaged by its Founder-Maker, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

The daily Dawn, Lahore; October 19, 2008

Monthly Newsreport on persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan - September, 2008

The District Amir of the Ahmadiyya community, Mirpur Khas (Sindh) murdered in his own hospital
The District Amir of Nawab Shah (Sindh) assassinated the next day
These incidents were preceded by a GEO TV religious program in which, the participants discussed issues of Jihad and the Islamic obligation to kill etc. during a discussion on Ahmadiyyat.

Sindh: Dr Abdul Mannan Siddiqui, the District President of the Ahmadiyya community Mirpur Khas was murdered at approximately 14:30 on September 8, 2008 in his hospital at Mirpur Khas. He was conducting his rounds of the wards at the time when two assailants, one bearded and the other masked, opened fire at him. He was hit by nine bullets. Mr. Arif, the doctor’s Ahmadi guard was shot seven times and was taken to Karachi in a critical state. Two patients were also shot. The assassins fled after the attack.

Dr Siddiqui, 46, was a highly qualified and respected physician. He was a highly capable man and well known for his sense of charity. He would routinely visit remote rural areas of Sindh on a monthly basis to provide free medical care to the poor. He was also a popular figure among other sections of society. According to the daily Dawn of September 9, 2008, “Later in the day, activists of different NGOs, including HRCP core group, took out a rally in protest against targeted killing of Dr Siddiqui.”

Dr Siddiqui is survived by his widow, a teenage daughter and son and his aged mother.

Dr Siddiqui is the 15th Ahmadi doctor to be killed in Pakistan because of his religion. Since the promulgation of the notorious Ordinance XX in 1984 specifically aimed at Ahmadis, he is the 94th Ahmadi to be killed for his faith.

The day after Dr Siddiqui’s murder another prominent Ahmadi, Seth Muhammad Yousuf, the District Amir of the Ahmadiyya community in Nawab Shah (Sindh) was killed in broad daylight in the local bazaar. He was on his way home from work at about 18:30 on September 9, 2008 when he was repeatedly shot in the head, neck and chest. He was quickly taken to the hospital, but before he could be operated upon, he succumbed to his wounds. Seth Yousuf was 66. He was a sociable, charitable and hospitable man, popular among everyone. He is survived by his widow, three sons and a daughter.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned both murders. Mr. Altaf Hussain, the chief of the MQM denounced this sectarian violence. In a statement the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said they were ‘horrified’ to learn of these two murders particularly as they came shortly after a broadcaster on one of Pakistan’s main TV channels urged viewers to kill blasphemers and apostates as a religious duty (Daily Times, September 13, 2008). The Mullas however claimed that the murders were a part of Judo-Christian conspiracy and a result of internal strife within the Ahmadiyya community. (The daily Aman, September 15, 2008)

On 7th September, a day prior to Dr Siddiqui’s murder, GEO TV aired a live discussion on its ‘Aalim online’ program, commemorating the 34th anniversary of Ahmadis being given ‘non-Muslim’ status by the government of Pakistan. Two mullas participated in the discussion via a live phone link. One was Saeed Inayatulla, a visiting cleric, interestingly based in Makka, Saudi Arabia and the other one was Shah Turabul Haq Qadri. The discussion panel in the studio comprised of two mullas, Muhammad Amin of the Madrassah Banoria, and mulla Muhammad Amin Shaheedi a Shia cleric, and was chaired by Aamar Liaquat, the anchor man. The three participants used highly provocative and slanderous language against the holy founder of Ahmadiyyat and promoted hatred against the Ahmadiyya community. They used the words “blood, Jihad and Duty to kill (Wajib-ul-Qatl)” etc. in this context, thereby openly violating one of the laws of the country. Such sectarian campaigns are rarely conducted by clerics through the electronic media, however whenever they have been carried out in the print media or from their pulpits, they have often resulted in bloodshed. Given the troubling situation in the Kurram Agency, the malicious content of the GEO program amounted to opening up a new battle front.

Individuals and groups that are committed to anti-Ahmadiyya violence are well-known to the police and the administration. These people are very open about their aims and objectives and have a history of shedding Ahmadi blood. The authorities can easily bring them to justice if they are asked to do so by the ruling elite. Currently Mr. Qaim Ali Shah of the PPP is the Chief Minister of Sindh.

Is it not surprising and quite absurd that under these circumstances, the response of the authorities was to register a criminal case under the Ahmadi-specific laws against a number of Ahmadi traders and businessmen in Rabwah, who published Ramadan time-tables and used the words ‘Imam’ and ‘Khilafat’, thereby allegedly injuring the feelings of Muslims.

Encouraged by the lack of attention paid to his offenses on GEO by the authorities, Dr Aamar Liaquat wrote an article, which was published in the daily Jang on September 12, 2008. In it Aamar Liaquat not only admitted his sectarian vitriol against Ahmadis, he also wrote that he was proud of it. He based his argument on his ‘love for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.)’ and insisted that he would persist in his crusade against Ahmadis. A week later, Pakistan experienced its own 9/11 when the Marriott hotel in Islamabad was blown up by terrorists who were motivated by their alleged ‘love for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.)’. Many innocent people lost their lives in the attack.

Is there anyone in Pakistan who will stop people like Dr Aamar Liaquat and their sponsors like GEO TV and the daily JANG from inciting sectarian violence?

Mr. Kanwar Idrees wrote an excellent article in the daily Dawn on September 21, 2008 on this subject. It is well worth reading.

Dr Liaquat’s outrages on GEO were condemned by column-writers and journalists in the press e.g. the Daily Times, The Friday Times, the Pakistan, the Aajkal etc. The International Union of Journalists also issued strong condemnations.

Except for Mr. Altaf Hussain of the MQM, no other political leader displayed enough courage to condemn these murders.

Another attack results in murder

Karachi: An Ahmadi, Sheikh Saeed Ahmad, was the target of an attack by religious zealots on September 1, 2008 at approximately 11.00 P.M. in Manzoor Colony, Karachi. He passed away on September 13th, 2008.

Saeed was rushed to the hospital by a group of his friends. His wounds were severe and he was in a critical condition. Doctors had to remove his spleen and one of his kidneys. They used 25 bottles of blood to sustain him. After the operation doctors shifted him to the I.C.U. while he remained unconscious.

He made slight recovery after three days, but remained on life-support and still required more blood to stay alive. All in all, 60 bottles of blood were used. His intestine and stomach were greatly damaged by the shots. He struggled for his life for 12 days, but eventually succumbed. His first child was born to his bereaved wife a week after the attack. Saeed was 42 years old and owned a pharmacy. Assailants acting in the name of religion had killed his brother, Sheikh Rafiq Ahmad, two and half years earlier in Karachi. It might also have been the same group which murdered his maternal uncle, Professor Dr. Sheikh Mubashir Ahmad of Karachi, a renowned physician, on September 26th, 2007. Some years ago, unknown murderers killed two Ahmadis in the same locality. All this has caused great concern among the Ahmadi community of Manzoor Colony. The administration and the police have been found wanting in tracing the culprits, although given the circumstances and the well-known extremists who oppose the community, this should not have been difficult.

While all this was happening to Ahmadis at the hand of bigots and extremists in Sindh, the police:

1. Arrested a disabled aged Ahmadi for allegedly writing a letter to a Muslim cleric.
2. Booked another Ahmadi for allegedly writing something blasphemous on a road with some chalk.
3. Failed to protect an Ahmadi who was forced to flee from his home along with his family in fear of persecution.
   

Ten Ahmadis booked and arrested in Rabwah under Ahmadi specific laws for using ‘Islamic’ terminology

Rabwah; September 5, 2008: While the country suffered major attacks at the hand of religious extremists, the half-witted Punjab Police kept itself busy in a senseless pursuit of peaceful Ahmadi citizens on ridiculous charges. The police in Rabwah (of course, goaded by their superiors and influential mullas) booked ten Ahmadi traders for publishing their ‘publicity and public-service’ Ramadan calendars in which they allegedly used ‘Islamic’ terms like ‘Khilafat’ and ‘Imam’. These ignorant policemen are unaware that these words were a part of the Arabic language even before the advent of Islam, and no one has ever recognized the sole propriety rights of Muslims in their use. The Ahmadi-specific Pakistani law also does not include these two words among the listed Islamic terms. Obviously, the police have acted both unlawfully and maliciously towards Ahmadi citizens in Rabwah.

More specifically, the Rabwah police registered an FIR No. 443/08 on September 5th, 2008 under sections PPC 298B and 298C, based on a report by one Aftab Ahmad, the Inspector Incharge of Investigation, Police Station Chenab Nagar. The FIR mentions the following: Mr. Qadeer Ahmad Gujar and Mr. Munir Ahmad Qaisar, owners of the Alfazal Dairy Malik shop; Mian Latif Ahmad, Alhaj Mian Qamar Ahmad, Mian Shahzeb Asim, Mian Azhar Ahmad, proprietors of Qaisar Jewelers; Owners of International Courier and Cargo Service, Owners of Master Jewelers, and Mian Ghulam Murtaza Mahmud the owner of Alfazal Jewelers and Kashif Jewelers.

In the FIR the inspector mentioned that the calendars containing the Ramadan timings injured the religious feelings of Muslims, without naming anyone in particular or mentioning who had made the complaint. The inspector took it upon himself to assume that the feelings of his ‘fellow’ Muslims had been hurt. Such FIR’s are against the normal practice of the police.

The incompetent inspector did not even bother to learn that one of the accused, Mian Latif Ahmad, is no longer alive. Shah Zeb Asim, another accused is a boy who is not even a teenager.

This FIR is indicative of the religious prejudice and the close relationship between fundamentalist clerics and the District Police. It shows how greatly misguided their priorities are and how insensitive and indeed ignorant the police and the administration are of the actual security risks facing the society. Only a fortnight later, the whole world saw the Marriott hotel in Islamabad go up in flames, on their TV screens. And yet we have not heard of any steps taken by the higher officials in the Punjab to withdraw the ridiculous FIR 443/08 of the Chenab Nagar, Police Station.

The current situation is scandalous. The accused had initially been granted temporary bail, but at the time of its confirmation bail was denied to them. The judge cancelled their bails, except for that of Shah Zeb. They were taken to the Jhang prison on 6th October which is a great distance away from Rabwah. Later the police added eight more Ahmadis to the list of those who were accused. The police have apparently opened a type of ‘imprest account’ through this FIR so as to make this case against other Ahmadis in Rabwah. It is not surprising that UK’s Parliamentary Human Rights Group mission titled its report on Rabwah in 2007: RABWAH: A PLACE FOR MARTYRS?

This human rights violation deserves comment. The government often complains of shortages in the police and judiciary. But see the irrational utilization of what is available. The Punjab is under attack by religious fanatics. The carnage at Wah, the suicide attack on police personnel at Lahore, the terrorism at Bhakkar, the recent explosion of bombs in a market at Ghari Shahu etc should have opened the eyes of any sensible administration for the need of the judicious allocation of human resources and the sensible review of their priorities. The district of Jhang has been home to banned extremist organizations, but they are still very active. In these circumstances, the pursuit and arrest of innocent Ahmadis for alleged misuse of Arabic words is simply idiotic. And to do so, on the behest of the mulla, is an abomination. This gives validity to a remark in TIME magazine that; Yet though Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism, it has also been its enabler. (Time: September 22, 2008). Is the Takht-i-Lahore (the throne of Lahore) set to repeat the mistake of ignoring the realities on the ground as it did approximately 150 years ago?

Registration of a police case at Kunri

Kunri, District Mirpur Khas (Sindh): The extremist elements in Kunri have ensured that the law and order situation in the town remains fragile. Reportedly, someone wrote blasphemous letters against the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h). The police detained a non-Ahmadi doctor Ayub and his colleague, but released them later. Then they took an Ahmadi, Rana Khalil Ahmad, into custody under the same case on September 14, 2008. They also took away another Ahmadi Shafiq Shah. The community elders tried to contact the DIG of Police who was not available at the time as he was away in Karachi.

Later, the police released Shafiq Shah. They had tortured him during the investigation. He supplies biscuits etc to retailers, for a living.

It has been learnt that the police have charged two Ahmadis, Rana Khalil Ahmad and Mr. Rashid Iqbal under PPC 295-A for which the penalty is 10 years’ imprisonment. Rana Khalil Ahmad has been accused of writing a blasphemous letter to the Khatib of Jamia Masjid Kunri. Rana Khalil is an old man who runs a small retail store. He lost a leg in an accident, and walks with the help of crutches. Mr. Rashid Iqbal has been accused of writing something religious on the road with some chalk.

Life for Ahmadis in Kunri is full of risk and uncertainty. The mulla is always busy in mischief, and enjoys the support of some sections of the police.

Ahmadi forced to flee from his home

Kunri (Sindh): It was reported last month that a mischief monger in Kunri had used the oil spill on the road to write the Kalima and the name of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) on the ground. The mulla used it as an excuse to organize a procession, accuse Ahmadis and undertake attacks on the Ahmadiyya centre and Ahmadi homes.

The vernacular press of Karachi, led by the ‘Islamist’ Nawa-i-Waqt reported the incident and published the clerics’ version of events and their press release under a three-column article. The Sunni Tehrik, a politico-religious party and the clerics of the Khatme Nabuwwat jumped onto the bandwagon for their own political gains. They even accused an Ahmadi ‘Muhammad Akbar Iqbal’ and threatened his life for having committed blasphemy. They demanded that he be lynched in public. They telephoned him and told him, “It is your turn now; we shall dispatch the blasphemers to hell.”

Poor Iqbal was extremely disturbed and fled from Kunri along with his wife and two children and hid himself elsewhere in the country. In the meantime, the police investigated the incident and came to the firm conclusion that Ahmadis had nothing to do with the incident. Dr Zulfiquar Mirza, Interior Minister of Sindh made a statement in the Provincial Assembly that ‘Qadianis were not involved in the blasphemy incident at Kunri’ (the daily Ummat, Karachi of September 6, 2008). He assured the house that he would inform them after tracing the real culprits. The police are well aware of the modus operandi of the mulla; the authorities should look for the real culprits among those protesters who cry the loudest.

Loss of employment and livelihood

Kallar Kahar: Mr. Daud Ahmad Joyia, an Ahmadi was selected and appointed as a lecturer in the Cadet College, Kallar Kahar on August 26, 2008. Later the college administration came to know that he was an Ahmadi. The principal sent for him in his office on the morning of September 10, 2008 and told him that it was not possible for him to retain an Ahmadi lecturer. “Your colleagues will not tolerate an Ahmadi lecturer at any cost”, Mr. Joyia was told. It is likely that one or two other lecturers might have objected to Mr. Joyia’s appointment, but the principal found it convenient to fire the appointee rather than educate those who objected to his employment.

Mr. Joyia asked the principal to discharge him in writing and mention the given reason in the discharge slip. The principal refused to do this, and told him to stop coming to the college.

Thus one can only guess at what kind of cadets the Kallar Kahar college is producing!

Tension in Chang (Sindh)

Chang, District Hyderabad: The small town of Chang is close to agricultural farms owned by Ahmadis. The local mullas have been active there for weeks to foment religious hatred and prejudice against Ahmadis.

They arranged an open-air meeting (Jalsa) against Ahmadis at Chang. They invited a few Pushtun mullas to address the gathering. A number of minor clerics also participated. They delivered hate speeches against Ahmadis and tried to outdo one another in slander and calumny. Among other exhortations, the mullas urged the audience to:

1. Have no dealings with Ahmadis.
2. Avoid social relations with Ahmadis as otherwise their marriage bonds will no longer be licit.
3. Strive against Qadianis, as their extermination is now more feasible after the departure of Qadiani Musharraf.
4. Not allow Qadianis to build mosques, offer prayers or extend Salam etc.
   

The Ahmadi assessment is that the public did not respond favorably to the mulla’s rhetoric. The local elders and the administration remain on good terms with Ahmadis.

Another calendar - but of a different kind

Earlier in this report, we mentioned the Ramadan calendars in Rabwah, where simply for the use of words like Khilafat and Imam, the police registered criminal cases under Ahmadi-specific laws against 10 Ahmadis and arrested them. Now we refer to another calendar; the contrast will show the nature and scope of discrimination.

A Khatme Nabuwwat organization in the district of Toba Tek Singh issued a Ramadan calendar wherein 70% of the space was allocated to hate propaganda against Ahmadis. Readers were incited against Ahmadis in strong language. It listed 10 questions; the mildest of which was the first one; “Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani robbed the Healer of Doomsday (Shafi Mahshar - sic) (p.b.u.h.) of his finality of Prophethood - what has been your response?” One needs nerves of steel to translate the other questions. The companions of the holy founder of Ahmadiyyat have been called scoundrels (badmoash sathi). Muslims have been told that Ahmadis are infidels, cursed and apostates (kafir, mardud aur murtad ). Marriage with them has been declared adultery. Ahmadis have been described as more dangerous than snakes and scorpions, and Muslims, who have friendly relations with Ahmadis, are told that dogs who bark at Ahmadis, are better than them.

This calendar obviously and blatantly violates section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, no case has been registered against its publishers who had the audacity to print their address boldly in the centre of the calendar as:

Mohibban Khatme Nabuwwat Unit Chak No. 295 G.B. Berianwala,

Toba Tek Singh

Authorities permit another anti-Ahmadiyya conference in Rabwah

Rabwah: In keeping with their usual practice, the authorities, permitted the mullas to hold a conference here on September 7, 2008 on the anniversary of the constitutional amendment that declared Ahmadis as Not-Muslims. The mullas converged from distant towns. They were all extremists, and many of them belonged to the ill-reputed Ahrar group. They did not arrange free transportation for their audience so their numbers were limited to 250 people, a very poor showing by Pakistani standards.

Mulla Ludhianwi, who has occasionally faced arrest for his sectarian drives, stated that Jews and Christians have been the enemies of Muslims since the early days.

Maulvi Ilyas Chinioti MPA, who boasts of his intimacy with the PML (N) leadership, said that Qadianis are rebels against the law, and the penalty for rebellion is death.

Qari Usmani proposed the following resolutions, inter alia:

1. (The state should) end ties with all countries guilty of blasphemy, including Denmark.
2. There should be ‘religion column’ for Qadianis in the national identity card.
3. Pervez Musharraf should be prosecuted for his role in the Lal Masjid episode (in Islamabad).
4. The restrictions imposed upon Dr Qadeer should be removed.
5. The government should take over the Qadiani Auqaf (religious assets and properties).
6. All the (criminal) cases against Maulvi Abdul Aziz (of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad) should be terminated.
   

There were numerous banners at the conference site, including the following:

• Implement Islam in the country through Declaration.
• The mission of the martyrs of the Lal Masjid will continue.
• Qadianis are traitors to the country and the nation (millat).
• The declaration (authorization) of Qadiani periodicals should be cancelled.
  

Prominent mullas who participated, included:

Ilyas Chinioti, Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianwi, Tahir Mahmud Ashrafi, Ahmad Ali Siraj (of Kuwait), Muhammad Yahya, Ilyas Ghumman, Rafiq of Faisalabad, Allah Yar Arshad, Badi-uz-Zaman advocate from Lahore, Zahid Mahmud Qasmi and Shabbir Usmani.

The daily Khabrain reported on September 9, 2008 that similar conferences were held in Lahore, Chicha Watni, Chiniot, Karachi etc.

Tension in Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur (Punjab): Recently the Governor of NWFP told the government of Punjab that they should be mindful of their backyard i.e. southern Punjab, which is now a centre of religious extremism and terrorism. Bahawalpur is an important city in the south of Punjab. The mulla’s activism against Ahmadiyyat is often a good yardstick to measure the extent of religious bigotry and intolerance in that area.

Religious and politico-religious organizations have recently started agitations in the Quaid-e-Azam Medical College and the Federal Government Girls Schools in Bahawalpur. Subsequent to the largely successful disruption they caused in the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, they focused their attention on the medical college in Bahawalpur. They implemented an effective social boycott of Ahmadi students there. They put hate-posters on college walls in which they listed the names of Ahmadi students and a lecturer. They also put up the notorious Ahmadi-specific Ordinance XX of 1984 on college and hostel notice boards. The Principal had them removed and asked the heads of departments to suitably guide the students against sectarian activities. This was not appreciated by the mullas who took a delegation of clerics to the Principal and tried to intimidate him. Mulla Ishaq Saqi is a major agitator among the leaders of this mischief; he is the one who has on one occasion toured the district and precipitated a grave incident at the Ahmadiyya mosque of Chak 192 Murad . The local vernacular press, as usual, provided ample space to the clerics’ propaganda.

The mulla also targeted the Principal of F. G. Girls Public School; she is an Ahmadi. The school has very good reputation and is the first preference of many parents for their children’s schooling. The mulla mounted a campaign of complaints against the principal which resulted in surprise visits and inspections by her superiors. She received hate mail and threats. Someone arranged a letter, ostensibly on behalf of the girl students, addressed to the Principal with a list of complaints against her. A copy of this letter, was sent to the following organizations:

1. Al Jihad Tehrik, Bahawalpur
2. Markaz Jamaat Islami, Bahawalpur
3. Tanzeem Jaish Muhammad, Model Town A, Bahawalpur
4. Sadr, Tehrik Khatme Nabuwwat, Multan
5. Anjuman Talaba Islam, Bahawalpur University
   

The above list is indicative of the initiators, dispatchers and sympathizers of the letter. In the letter, they linked the issue of Faisalabad college, the inflow of money from Denmark and England, preaching etc. – and other types of nonsense. The mulla’s aim is to harm the Principal; he does not care for the harm that will be done to the school that enjoys a great reputation partly due to her excellent leadership. She is of course worried about the situation.

The mulla is on the rampage. He is now waging a jihad against his own people and institutions.

The sad state of a governmental school in Rabwah

Rabwah: The daily Jinnah, Lahore of August 27, 2008 published a report on the local Girls High School. It printed photos of the people interviewed and the building’s damaged structure, with the note: “The building of Chenab Nagar Nusrat Girls High School is dilapidated and invites death.” The report carried the following headlines:

Chenab Nagar: Girls High School in a dilapidated state. Education continues under the shade of death. 2500 girl students receiving education in building constructed in 1948.

No water, open-air toilet etc put Parha Likha (educated) Punjab to shame. A tragedy in the offing.

Teacher and students injured in 1997 due to falling electric fans from the ceiling. The building was declared dangerous, but despite a budget in billions, the school is provided no funds.

The Deputy Nazim came over when he heard of the media’s visit. Residents demand the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to rebuild the school and remove the (town) Nazim.

The report notes with concern that the school building that was declared dangerous 11 years ago in 1997, has not been rebuilt. A tragedy could be in the offing. The last government spent millions on propaganda and publicity on Parha Likha Punjab, but spent little on repair and maintenance of dilapidated school structures. Dozens of girl students and teachers were hurt over the past years due to structural failures. The students feel worried over the risk to their lives. The Deputy Nazim promised to carry out repairs and maintenance.

The daily Aajkal, Lahore rendered a similar report about this school in its issue of August 30, 2008.

Text of President’s oath

Islamabad: Mr. Asif Ali Zardari took the oath of the president of Pakistan at Islamabad on September 9, 2008, as given in the third schedule of the 1973 constitution. Its text is fit for reproduction here as it conveys important messages regarding the state’s attitude towards human rights and freedom of religion. The TEXT:

I, Asif Ali Zardari, do solemnly swear that I am a Muslim and believe in the unity and Oneness of Almighty Allah, the Books of Allah, the Holy Qur’an being the last of them, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last of the Prophets and that there can be no Prophet after him, the Day of Judgment, and all the requirements and teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah:
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan;
That, as President of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan;
That I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan;
That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions;
That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan;
That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will;
And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter, which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of Pakistan, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President.

(emphasis added)

The NWFP governor is right

Lahore: The daily Dawn reported the following in its issue of September 23, 2008:

Suicide bombers coming from Punjab: Owais
Lahore, September 22: NWFP Governor Owais Ghani warned Punjab on Monday that militancy was gaining strength in its backyard.
…….
Mr. Ghani also warned against treating the insurgency in the tribal areas as a problem of the NWFP. “It will be ill-advised to think that the militancy will remain confined to NWFP. Militants' activities have already shifted to the settled areas and Punjab and they have established strong links with south Punjab. It’s a national issue, a question of survival for (entire) Pakistan.” Later talking to Dawn, the governor said he had discussed the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He expressed the hope that the Punjab government would effectively handle the situation.

The governor did well to point his finger at south Punjab. Fundamentalist and extremist elements have flourished there for a long time, and they now exercise plenty of freedom there. Unfortunately they have been, helped in this by officials who perhaps have received no firm directions from Lahore to distance themselves from these elements. For example, in the Ahmadiyya context, since January this year:

1. There has been anti-Ahmadiyya tension at Bahawalpur in January 2008, after a fiery sermon by a mulla on January 25.
2. An octogenarian Ahmadi was booked under the blasphemy law PPC 295B at Police Station Kabirwala, District Khanewal on March 3, 2008 under pressure from clerics.
3. The Ahrar Islam group held a sectarian conference in Chicha Watni on March 7, 2008.
4. Mr. Rab Nawaz, a fresh convert to Ahmadiyyat was arrested by police and charged under the Ahmadi-specific law PPC 298C on May 27, 2008 in Dera Ghazi Khan.
5. A 75-year old Ahmadi was arrested on the charge of preaching, on the behest of clerics under FIR No. 168/08 at Sadr Chicha Watni on May 30, 2008.
6. The tense situation for Ahmadi students of the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur ensued in June.
7. Eight Ahmadis were booked at Khanpur, District Rahim Yar Khan on June 23, 2008 under the Ahmadi-specific law PPC 298B.
8. The small Ahmadiyya Community of Jatoi, District Muzaffar Garh was harassed for weeks in May and June by mullas who enjoyed the support of the local police. Moreover the DPO was not sympathetic to them either.
9. Mr. Sher Muhammad, Ahmadi was subjected to a fatwa of Death by Mufti Ismail at Ahmadpur Sharqia, District Bahawal Nagar, in June. He had to change his residence along with his family, and moved to another city. The authorities failed to provide him with any security.
10. A major violation of freedom of religion happened in Multan where an Ahmadiyya prayer center was vandalized by extremist elements.
11. Hate propaganda goes on unchecked in the Medical College at Bahawalpur and the F. G. Girls Public School.
    

All this can happen only when extremist elements are supported by the authorities or when a clear signal is available to them that the state is not bothered by this display of religious vandalism. Thus Governor Owais is right in what he says.

US report mentions Ahmadis’ loss of religious freedom in Pakistan

Washington: The Daily Times, Lahore published a US report from Washington, sent by the daily’s rep there, Mr. Khalid Hasan. Headlines and extracts:

Religious intolerance in Pakistan widespread: US
International Religious Freedom report says discrimination against minorities prevalent. Says promotions for minorities limited.
………….
It said, “Specific laws that discriminate against religious minorities include anti-Ahmadi and blasphemy laws. The Ahmadiyya community continued to face governmental and societal discrimination and legal bars to the practice of its religious beliefs. Members of other Islamic sects also claimed governmental discrimination.”
……………
There is life imprisonment for defiling, damaging or desecrating the holy Qur’an and 10 years in jail for insulting another’s religious feelings. “These laws are often used to settle personal scores as well as to intimidate vulnerable Muslims, sectarian opponents, and religious minorities,” said the annual review of religious freedom around the world.

Ahmadis behind bars

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Dr. Muhammad Asghar was arrested on a fabricated charge of blasphemy. The judge rejected his plea for bail.
4. Rana Khalil Ahmad, an elderly and disabled gentleman, is detained for allegedly writing a letter to a cleric.
5. Eight Ahmadis in Rabwah were arrested in the Ramadan calendars case after their temporary bails were cancelled by the judge.
   

From the press


(Ahmadi) Doctor falls prey to targeted killing

Mirpurkhas, September8, 2008 …

Asghar Narejo, Kanji Rano Bheel, Manzoor Memon, Dr Aanand Kaumar and Najaf Leghari who led the (civil society’s protest) rally accused religious extremists of being involved in the murder.

They regretted that the terrorists were moving about openly and killing innocent people and police had completely failed to provide protection to people.

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 9, 2008

Another Ahmadi shot dead

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 01, 2008

Murder of Ahmadi VIPs is linked to religious extremism. Urgent action should be taken to safeguard their persons, properties and places of Worship. — Altaf Hussain (of MQM)

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 11, 2008

Chenab Nagar: 7 Qadianis booked for using Islamic terms in calendar.

The Daily Express, Lahore; September 9, 2008

IFJ condemns inflammatory broadcast and link to murders in Pakistan
*Anchor of a widely viewed program has called killing of Ahmadis righteous ‘duty’ of Muslims

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 13, 2008

Chiniot: 10 Qadianis’ bail plea rejected; arrested and sent to jail

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 27, 2008

Gilani on Sunday vowed to restore the 1973 Constitution to its original form

The daily Nation, Lahore; September 7, 2008

Taliban are a cancer of (our) society. The country will disappear if they are not dissolved. — (President) Zardari

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; September 11, 2008

Suicide bombers coming from Punjab: — Owais (Governor NWFP)

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 23, 2008

Murder of Ahmadi leaders is an extension of religious terrorism. — Altaf Hussain

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 11, 2008

Attempts afoot to sow seeds of extremism in Sindh: — Altaf

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 12, 2008

HRCP condemns killing of Ahmadis

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 11, 2008

He (MQM Chief Altaf Hussain) said he had raised his voice against the killing of Ahmadis but at that time some people had started calling him an agent of Ahmadis and Christians. “Is it not the state’s responsibility to protect the life and property of all Pakistanis?”

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 15, 2008

Religious intolerance in Pakistan wide spread: US

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 22, 2008

Indonesia: Qadiani sect banned in South Sumatra as well
Earlier it was banned in North Sumatra. This movement is not in conformity with Islamic teachings. Governor Mohiuddin

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt Lahore; September 14, 2008

Indonesian Government and their Ulama Council’s motivational spirit is laudable. — Majlis Khatme Nabuwwat Chiniot

They have proven their love for the prophet by suppressing the Qadiani mischief in the world.

Qadiani group is apostate, Zindique and infidel. It should be exterminated. — Maulana Masud Ahmad, Maulana Allah Yar

The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 1, 2008

All countries where blasphemous sketches are published should be boycotted.

Qadianis’ activities should be taken note of; add religion column to the national I.D. Card; the government should take over Qadiani Auqaf properties. — Alami Khatme Nabuwwat Conference

The daily Jang, Lahore; September 9, 2008

Qadianism is in its death throes worldwide; we shall continue to pursue it. — (Mulla) Zahur Turabi

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; September 1, 2008

Qadianis are ruled by Muslims in Chenab Nagar. — Maulana Allah Yar Arshad.
Qadianis hide their faces these days; their chief found no protection anywhere; the British who planted him, provided him shelter.
September 7 is a day of great victory for Muslims. The martyrs’ blood delivered it. Leader of the Tehrik

The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 8, 2008

Qadianis are experiencing indignity and a slap in the face all over the world. — (Mullas) Masud Sarwary, Allah Yar Arshad
Qadianis should be dissolved through executive order as done in Indonesia.

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 19, 2008

Qadiani are agents of Jews and Christians. They are striking at the roots of the country. — (Mulla) Sarwat Ejaz Qadri
The murder of Dr Mannan and Yousaf Qadiani is a part of Judo-Christian conspiracy and a consequence of internal strife within the Ahmadiyya community.

The daily Aman, Lahore; September 15, 2008

Action will have to be taken to exterminate Qadianiat. — Pir Atiq ur Rahman (of Azad Kashmir)

The daily Jang, Lahore; September 29, 2008

Anjuman Talaba Islam launch countrywide movement to protect the Finality of Prophethood
The central and provincial leaders of ATI will visit educational institutions during the drive

The daily Pakistan, Lahore; September 8, 2008

Chenab Nagar turns into a Garbage heap due to negligence of the town’s administration

The Daily Express, Faisalabad; September 13, 2008

60 die in Capital hotel bombing. Over 150 injured

The daily News, Lahore; September 21, 2008

Czech ambassador and two US marines among the 53 killed (in attack on Marriott hotel)

ADP, AFP

A group calling itself Fedayeen-i-Islam (Dedicated to Islam) claimed on Monday responsibility for the deadly suicide attack on the Marriott hotel.

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 23, 2008

95 killed in Kurram Agency (Sunni-Shia) clashes

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 1, 2008

Illegal mosques sprouting again (in Islamabad)

The daily Dawn, Lahore; September 8, 2008

Foreigners among 100 killed in Bajaur offensive

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 12, 2008

Fazlur Rahman is in politics for his pocket, not for his faith. — Ajmal Qadri

The daily Khabrain, Lahore; September 20, 2008

NWFP: 34,000 HR violations during the era of MMA government. Special Report

The daily Aman, Lahore; September 13, 2008

Afghan consul general abducted, driver shot dead

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 23, 2008

MQM kicks out Dr Aamar Liaquat Hussain (of Geo’s ‘Alim on line’ program)

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 11, 2008

Jamia Faridia reopened after Fazl-govt deal

The Daily Times, Lahore; September 11, 2008

German anti-Islam rally cancelled after clashes

The daily Frontier Post, Peshawar; September 21, 2008

Saudi Arabia: Urging people to Jihad on Internet would invite 10 years’ imprisonment.

The daily Ausaf, Lahore; September 13, 2008

Op-eds

Yet though Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism, it has also been its enabler.

TIME, (US); September 22, 2008

In deep trouble

Lastly, friend Irfan Husain, again writing eminent sense, reminded us of the damage that a free and independent media can do if it is allowed to do so by those who operate channels and by a government that sits idly by and observes without comment or action. An unstable participant, a doctor of sorts, in one of the endless talk shows incited the public to murder those of the Ahmadi faith, all in the name of the religion which guides this country. And subsequent murders there were. Such is the national mindset.

Ardeshir Cowasjee in the daily DAWN of September 28, 2008

In a letter to an editor

As a follow-up of the above (GEO’s anti-Ahmadiyya program) three good human beings, viz Dr Abdul Mannan Siddiqui (Sept 8) Seth Yusuf from Nawab Shah (Sept 9) and Sheikh Saeed of Karachi (on the following day), were mercilessly killed.

The questions that I would like to ask are:

1. Where is the government?
2. Where are the ministry of justice and law enforcement agencies?
3. Where is the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority?
4. Where is the ‘Ethics Committee’ of the association of the electronic media? And finally,
5. What is the responsibility of the channel in which that ‘hate’ program was telecast?
   

I would like to appeal first to the print and electronic media to respond to my questions and then also demand a response from the government.

NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi

Letter to the Dawn of October 2008

Threat to the state

The president must not appear as someone who cannot deliver on his promises. We need a strong leadership at this time to direct the state and society.

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa in the Dawn of September 26, 2008