Pakistan - Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on Thursday 5 & Friday 6 June 2014
Treatment of Ahmadi’s including: Available state protection; Internal relocation options; Information on Jamat-i-Ahmadiyya; Treatment in Shadman, North Nazimabad, Karachi
The United Nations News Service in June 2014 states:
“Independent United Nations human rights experts today called on Pakistan to adopt urgent measures to stop faith-based killings and ensure the security of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, whose faith is outlawed in the country. The experts - appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to deal with freedom of religion, minority issues, and summary executions - made the call after renewed violent attacks against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, in which two members of the community have been killed, as well as a number of arrests on blasphemy charges” (United Nations News Service (2 June 2014) UN rights experts call for urgent measures to protect Pakistan's religious minorities).
In May 2014 the New York Times notes:
“An American doctor volunteering at a hospital in eastern Pakistan was shot to death on Monday in front of his wife and 3-year-old son in the latest attack on a follower of the minority Ahmadi faith at a time of rising intolerance across the country” (New York Times (27 May 2014) American Doctor Is Killed by a Gunman in Pakistan).
This document also states:
“The Ahmadi faith offends many orthodox Muslims for its veneration of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a 19th-century Punjabi cleric who Ahmadis believe was a prophet sent by God -- in contradiction to the mainstream belief that the Prophet Muhammad was the final prophet. Bowing to pressure from religious hard-liners in 1974, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's otherwise-secular prime minister, changed the Constitution to discriminate against Ahmadis, who are forbidden to describe themselves as Muslims. In recent years, extremist groups and lone vigilantes have violently attacked Ahmadis numerous times. A report by the Ahmadi community published last week said that seven Ahmadis were killed in 2013 and that 16 survived attempts on their lives. The violence has increased in recent months as part of a broader increase in intolerance in Pakistan linked to abuses of the colonial-era blasphemy law” (ibid).
In May 2014 the Express Tribune states:
“The situation for Ahmadis deteriorated over the past year as seven Ahmadis were killed and 16 faced murder attacks, an annual report issued by the Jamaat Ahmadiyya on Wednesday stated. The report was issued ahead of the fourth anniversary of attacks on two Ahmadi places of worship in Lahore. The attacks had left more than 90 persons dead and around 150 injured. According to the report, in 2013, there was in increase in fabricated news stories against Ahmadis published in the Urdu press. The report said Ahmadis had faced political, social and legal discrimination since the promulgation of the ordinance against them in 1984. It said 237 Ahmadis had been killed since the ordinance had been passed, and 193 attempted murders had taken place. It said as many as 27 places of worship had been demolished, 31 had been sealed by the authorities and 16 others had been illegally appropriated” (Express Tribune (22 May 2014) Intolerance: ‘Violence against Ahmadis is at its peak today’).
A report released in April 2014 by the South Asia Terrorism Portal notes:
“The annual report by the Jama’at Ahmadiyya, issued on May 21, stated that the situation for Ahmadis deteriorated over the past year as seven Ahmadis were killed and 16 faced murder attacks, reports The Express Tribune. According to the Report, in 2013, there was increase in fabricated news stories against Ahmadis published in the Urdu press. The Report said that Ahmadis had faced political, social and legal discrimination since the promulgation of the ordinance against them in 1984. It said 237 Ahmadis had been killed since the ordinance had been passed and 193 attempted murders had taken place. It said as many as 27 places of worship had been demolished, 31 had been sealed by the authorities and 16 others had been illegally appropriated. It further said that as many as 37 bodies of Ahmadis had been exhumed after burial, and the burial of 61 bodies in common cemeteries had been denied. The report also called attention to widely distributed literature that promoted the social and financial boycott of Ahmadis and incited violence against them” (South Asia Terrorism Portal (25 April 2014)Violence against Ahmadis is at its peak today, says Jama'at Ahmadiyya Annual Report).
In April 2014 the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan points out that:
“Ahmadis were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan through a constitutional amendment in 1974. A decade later, they were barred from identifying themselves as Muslims through an amendment to the Pakistan Penal Code (inserting sections 298-B and C). The difficulties of Ahmadi citizens in Pakistan continued unchanged in 2013. They remained the target of a most sustained and vicious hate campaign. Several Ahmadis were murdered in targeted attacks and others were injured. On the one hand there was discrimination against Ahmadis, particularly in education and work, to the point where livelihood became difficult, and on the other they faced problems in burying their dead” (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (23 April 2014) State of Human Rights in 2013 (Chapter 3. Fundamental freedoms - Freedom of thought, conscience and religion)).
This report also states:
“According to media reports and information from the community, seven Ahmadis were murdered on account of their faith in 2013. There were 16 cases of assault on Ahmadis, some of these nearly fatal. In 2013, as in the previous year, the highest number of Ahmadis' killings was reported from Karachi. Six Ahmadis were killed in Karachi and one in Lahore. All seven were killed with firearms. Three Ahmadi men killed in Karachi were from the same family and were killed within a few weeks of each other” (ibid).
In April 2014 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom notes:
“The previous and current Pakistani government failed to intervene effectively against a spike in violence targeting the Shi'a minority community, as well as violence against Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis” (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (30 April 2014) USCIRF Annual Report 2014 - Countries of Particular Concern: Pakistan).
A report issued in February 2014 by the United States Department of State commenting on events of the preceding year notes:
“Police often failed to protect members of religious minorities, including Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and Shia Muslims, from attacks” (United States Department of State (27 February 2014) Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013, Pakistan, Section 1d Arbitrary Arrest or Detention/Role of the Police and Security Apparatus).
In December 2013 a report published by the Asian Human Rights Commission notes:
“The Ahmadis are also frequently targeted for their belief, their places of worship are attacked and they are not allowed to carry out their religious observances” (Asian Human Rights Commission (9 December 2013) The State of Human Rights in Pakistan, 2013: Pakistan - Country Has Turned into a Killing Field, p.4).
This report also notes, commenting on political rights, that:
“Ahmadis have no representation even in the town council of their own town Rabwah, Nasim Nagar, Punjab, where they make up 95%of the population” (ibid, p.39).
It is also pointed out in this report that:
“Since the promulgation of the anti-Ahmadi Ordinance XX (No. 20) of 1984, at least 231 Ahmadis have been murdered because of their faith. 51 of these casualties were in Sindh, including 21 in Karachi. Most of the victims in Karachi were well-known professionals in their fields. Not a single killer of Ahmadis has ever been arrested, which shows that Pakistani authorities are colluding with the killers” (ibid ,p.39).
An article in December 2013 issued by Pakistan Today commenting on Karachi notes:
“The statistics available with Pakistan Today has disclosed that total 109 people have fell victim of sectarian violence till December 5 in the ongoing year in the metropolis. Out of these 109, 56 Shia community members, 24 activists of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), 9 belong to Deoband school of thought, seven belongs to Tableegi Jamaat, four members of Ahmadi community, three Bohra community, two each of Sunni Tehreek (ST) and Ismailis and one each belongs to Barohi and Hindu community” (Pakistan Today (9 December 2013) Sectarian murders eclipse targeted operation).
A report issued by Reuters in December 2013 notes:
“Three years ago, 86 Ahmadis were killed in two simultaneous attacks on Friday prayers in Lahore. There have been no mass attacks since then, but targeted killings are rising: last year 20 Ahmadis were killed, up from 11 in 2009” (Reuters (15 December 2013) Arrested in Islamic Pakistan for reading the Koran: Ahmadi sect under siege).
This report also states:
“There are about half a million Ahmadis in Pakistan, their leaders say. Many only feel safe in Rabwa, a town they bought when Pakistan was created in 1947” (ibid).
In November 2013 a publication released by the South Asian Terrorism Portal notes:
“A man belonging to the Ahmadi community, identified as Bashir Ahmed (50), was killed while four others were injured in a sectarian attack within the jurisdiction of Mominabad Police Station in Orangi Town of Karachi District, the provincial capital of Sindh on November 1, reported Daily Times. The injured were identified as Mohammad Ahmed, Asad Fazal, Wajid and Ovais. According to the Ahmadi community spokesperson, Bashir Ahmed, the victims were returning to their homes after offering Friday prayers, when armed men targeted them on sectarian basis. He added that six people belonging to the Ahmadi community had so far been killed in 2013” (South Asian Terrorism Portal (2 November 2013) Four persons including Ahmadi man killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi).
In September 2013 Dawn states:
“A young man was shot dead in the SITE area on Wednesday. They said that Ejaz Ahmad Kayani, 30, was going somewhere on a motorcycle when three assailants, also on a motorcycle, targeted him in Metroville opposite UBL bank. He sustained three bullet wounds and was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. SITE-A SHO Tufail Ahmed said that the victim, who originally hailed from Kashmir and was a driver by profession, was killed over some 'personal enmity'. However, a spokesperson of the Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya said in a statement that the victim was a member of their organisation and was targeted because of his faith. The spokesperson said that during the last one month, four Ahmadis had been killed in Karachi for their faith” (Dawn (19 December 2013) Ahmadi man gunned down).
In May 2013 the United States Department of State points out in a report that:
“The government generally enforced existing legal and policy restrictions on religious freedom, particularly on Ahmadi Muslims” (United States Department of State (20 May 2013) International Religious Report for 2012, Pakistan).
Inter Press Service in May 2013 notes:
“Last month, the Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya (Ahmadi Movement) issued its annual report for 2012, stating that 19 members of the community were killed last year; in total an estimated 226 Ahmadis have been killed in sectarian violence since 1984” (Inter Press Service (6 May 2013) Pakistan: Free And Fair Elections - Except For Ahmadis).
In May 2012 the UNHCR:
“…considers that members of the Ahmadi community, including those targeted by Islamic extremist elements or charged with criminal offences under the blasphemy or anti-Ahmadi provisions, are likely to be in need of international refugee protection on account of their religion, depending on the individual circumstances of the case” (UNHCR (14 May 2012) UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Members of Religious Minorities from Pakistan).
A paper issued in May 2009 by Writenet states:
“The Ahmadiyya Jama’at is an international movement with large numbers in America, Britain, Europe, Indonesia and Nigeria. It is difficult to ascertain the precise number of Ahmadi as they have boycotted census and registration for electoral rolls since 1974 when they were declared non-Muslims. There are at least 12 million Ahmadi world-wide and, according to the latest census, of 1998, there were then 286,000 in Pakistan. About 60,000 Qadiani Ahmadi live at Rabwah, the headquarters of the movement in Pakistan. The remaining Ahmadi are scattered throughout the country” (Writenet (May 2009) Pakistan: The Situation of Religious Minorities, p.25).
No further information on these issues could be found among sources available to the RDC.
References
Asian Human Rights Commission (9 December 2013) The State of Human Rights in Pakistan, 2013: Pakistan - Country Has Turned into a Killing Field http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-230-2013 Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
Dawn (19 December 2013) Ahmadi man gunned down http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb =21_T20014350996&format=GNBFULL&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrl Key=29_T20014354500&cisb=22_T20014350999&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi= 410347&docNo=25 This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
Express Tribune (22 May 2014) Intolerance: ‘Violence against Ahmadis is at its peak today’ http://tribune.com.pk/story/711398/intolerance-violence-against-ahmadis-is-at-its- peak-today/ Accessed Friday 6 June 2014
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (23 April 2014) State of Human Rights in 2013 (Chapter 3. Fundamental freedoms - Freedom of thought, conscience and religion) http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/state-human-rights-2013-chapter-3- fundamental-freedoms-freedom-thought-consci This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
Inter Press Service (6 May 2013) Pakistan: Free And Fair Elections - Except For Ahmadis http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb =21_T20014350996&format=GNBFULL&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrl Key=29_T20014354500&cisb=22_T20014350999&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi= 8001&docNo=44 This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
New York Times (27 May 2014) American Doctor Is Killed by a Gunman in Pakistan http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb =21_T20014193093&format=GNBFULL&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrl Key=29_T20014203303&cisb=22_T20014203302&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi= 6742&docNo=32THis This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
Pakistan Today (9 December 2013) Sectarian murders eclipse targeted operation http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/12/09/national/sectarian-murders-eclipse- targeted-operation/
Reuters (15 December 2013) Arrested in Islamic Pakistan for reading the Koran: Ahmadi sect under siege http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/15/us-pakistan-britain-arrest- idUSBRE9BE02J20131215 Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
South Asia Terrorism Portal (25 April 2014)Violence against Ahmadis is at its peak today, says Jama'at Ahmadiyya Annual Report http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/search_news.asp?currentpage=5&date1=2000/03/11& date2=2014/6/5&keyword=ahmadi# Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
South Asian Terrorism Portal (2 November 2013) Four persons including Ahmadi man killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/search_news.asp?currentpage=5&date1=2000/03/11& date2=2014/3/7&keyword=ahmadi# Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
UNHCR (14 May 2012) UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Members of Religious Minorities from Pakistan http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/unhcr-eligibility-guidelines-assessing- international-protection-needs-members#toc12 This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
United Nations News Service (2 June 2014) UN rights experts call for urgent measures to protect Pakistan's religious minorities http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=538f03344 Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
United States Department of State (27 February 2014) Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013, Pakistan http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
United States Department of State (20 May 2013) International Religious Report for 2012, Pakistan http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (30 April 2014) USCIRF Annual Report 2014 - Countries of Particular Concern: Pakistan http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=5369e5bc12
Writenet (May 2009) Pakistan: The Situation of Religious Minorities http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/pakistan-situation-religious-minorities This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 5 June 2014
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Refugee Documentation Centre within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.
Sources Consulted
Amnesty International BBC News Electronic Immigration Network European Country of Origin Information Network Freedom House Google Human Rights Watch Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre International Crisis Group IRIN News Lexis Nexis Minority Rights Group International Online Newspapers Refugee Documentation Centre E-Library Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database Reliefweb Reuters United Kingdom Home Office United States Department of State UNHCR Refworld ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������������������������