HVK Archives: Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan - The observer
D R Ahuja
()
6 August 1997
Title: Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
Author: D R Ahuja
Publication: The observer
Date: August 6, 1997
The tragedy of Pakistan is that, despite constitutional safeguards, the
government failed to protect minorities, says D R Ahuja
Though Pakistan is a, theocratic state, its constitution guarantees every
citizen the right to profess, practise and propagate his religion. It also
guarantees that every religious denomination or sect shall have the right
to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions. But these
principles enshrined in the constitution have been observed in breach
rather than in compliance.
Threats to freedom of thought, conscience and religion came mostly on the
grounds of religion and from the orthodox sections aided by inequity of
laws and disinclination of the government for vigorous action. The areas
of administration and the lower ways of judiciary show no particular
eagerness to cheek or challenge the fundamentalism.
While, during Z A Bhutto's regime, Ahmadis were declared a non-muslim
minority, the system of separate electorate in Pakistan introduced by the
military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq on April 26, 1984 formally separated
non-Muslims from the bulk of the population and created a wedge between
Hindus and Christians, Muslims and backward classes of Sindh.
Moreover, the hatred between Shias and Sunnis and hatred against Ahmadis
also grew in this period, thanks to preachings of bigots and fundamental
Moulvis, and led to the harassment of Ahmadis and other sects.
The hatred against Ahmadis received government approval when two provisions
were made in the Penal Code (Sections 288B and 298C) in 1984. These two
provisions run directly counter to substantive provision of Article 20 of
the constitution. These virtually prohibited the Ahmadis from freely
professing and practising their religion,
They are barred from employing nomenclature or appellation associated with
Islam and from following muslim forms of worship. All their observances and
rituals are like that of muslims since they considered themselves muslims
which again was a crime. Those laws also specifically forbade their doing
anything that could be construed as propagating their faith.
These laws concerned the defilement of the Holy Quran (295B) which was
punishable with life imprisonment, insult to the Holy Prophet of Islam
(295-C) which carried mandatory death penalty and demeaning of any other
parsonage revered in Islam (298-A) which had a lighter sentence of 3 years.
The persons accused were often, though not always, Ahmadis and Christians.
At least 658 cases under these laws were pending against 2467 persons in 30
cities. These included several cases of blasphemy - 144 by Ahmadis and ten
by Christians.
Muslim orthodoxy, led by Anjuman Jahaffaz-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat, accused
Ahmadis of having become more ardent in the propagation of their beliefs
and called on the government to take stern action against them. After
indulging in a series of acts of violence, one such fanatical organisation
in Karachi issued a handbill saying that it was taking the law into its
hands because the police was not cooperative.
The handbill called upon all those loyal to the honour of the holy Prophet
to kill all Ahmadis and make non-muslims know that muslim mothers had not
ceased giving birth to Ghazi Illam-ud-din Shaheeds who in 1927 had killed a
Hindu author of a blasphemous book against the Prophet.
One person who claimed to be secretary general of the International
Movement against Ahmadis claimed that Ahmadis were behind all acts of
terrorism in Pakistan. There were both individual and collective organised
campaigns such as for the dismissal of a minister in caretaker government
or of the Principal of Lady Anderson High School in Sialkot for their
allegedly being Ahmadiya.
Instances of harassment of Ahmadis, with or without a pre-text, are recurrent.
According to a report on the violation of Human Rights in Pakistan in 1996,
there has been constant harassment of Ahmadis by fanatic muslims. Several
of them fell to the bullets of narrow-minded muslims. The report said that
Zafar Iqbal, an Ahmadiya and employee of Allied Bank in Karachi, was
dragged out of his car and shot dead. An Ahmadiya shop-keeper and his
relative in Karachi were mercilessly beaten up and badly injured. Zaheer, a
follower of Anjuman Sipah Sahaba of Pakistan, stabbed a fellow shop-owner
Sheikh Mubarak Ahmed in Khushab.
A group of Ahmadis was publicly beaten up while the police watched, after
their Friday prayers in Abbotabad.
When the local Ahmadiya chief of Rajanpur, Mian Iqbal Ahmed, an advocate,
was charged with blasphemy, the sessions court dismissed his application
for quashment.
Four Ahmadis in Mianwali were jailed for two years on charges of blasphemy
and their bail applications were rejected.
A bomb exploded at an Ahmedia place of worship, Baital Mehdi, in Rabwah,
injuring 15 persons, including the acting president of Ahmadis organisation
in Karachi. It was also reported that the mail of Ahmadis in Gujrat was
opened by sorters, letters were read and destroyed.
There are a lot of instances of atrocities on Ahmadis brought to the notice
of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
In Chakwal, Malik Riaz Ahmed, owner of Farhan Modern School, was arrested
for announcing, the result of school and exhorting parents to send their
children to his school.
In the same town, female Ahmadiya teachers were removed from service. Even
the places of worship of Ahmadis were not spared. The congregations of
Ahmadis were attacked, buildings were demolished and not allowed to
reconstruct.
Mohd Nawaz of Sukheki, a muslim who converted to Ahmadiya faith, was not
only badly beaten up and seriously wounded but also made a social outcast.
In Dulmial in Chakwal, a group of 300 attacked a place of worship and
demolished the building which was used for 100 years for Ahmadis' Eid and
funeral prayers. The Ahmadis of Rahimyar Khan in Sindh were barred from the
Mahmood Stadium. A site which they had been using for their Eid prayers for
more than 30 years.
According to the figures released by the Human Rights Commission, 94
Ahmadis were killed during 1994-1996 while there were murderous assaults on
70 persons, at least 38 places of worship were either burnt, damaged or
forcibly occupied during this period and 15 graves were desecrated and 26
burials prevented.
The Ahmadiya community in Pakistan publishes a daily paper, Al-Fazal, five
monthly magazines, a women's magazine, a youth magazine, a magazine for
Ahmadis over 40, a children's magazine and a publication for Ahmadis living
abroad.
These publications have been banned several times and cases instituted
against them.
The editor of Daily Al-Fazal, Nasim Saifi, faces charges in 40 cases and
printer of various Ahmadiya periodicals, Qazi Munir Ahmed, faces charges in
92 cases. The publisher of Al-Fazal, Agha Saifullah, (26 charges) and, the
editor of Ansarullah, M D Naz, (18 charges). The publisher of the same
paper, M Ibrahim, faced prosecution in 17 cases. Besides, 400 issues of
Ahmadiya periodicals were proscribed by the government.
The tragedy is that the Government of Pakistan is a mute witness to this
ghastly, sordid drama and failed to enforce Article 20 of the Constitution
which guarantee citizens the right to process, practise and propagate
religion.
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