Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan News Report July 2010 'PSFXPSE *UXPVMECFBQQSPQSJBUFUPHJWFIFSFBUSBOTMBUJPOPGUIFPQFOJOHQBSBPGBMFUUFS XSJUUFOSFDFOUMZCZUIF%JSFDUPSPG1VCMJD"GGBJSTPGUIF"INBEJZZBIFBERVBSUFSTUPBVUIPSJUJFT “Eighty-six Ahmadis died and more than 120 were injured in the Lahore attacks of May 28, 2010. Since then an organized anti-Ahmadiyya campaign has been waged. Khatme Nabuwwat conferences and open-air meetings have been held in various towns, in which highly provocative and slanderous language has been used, in the fair name of Islam, against the founder and leaders of the Jamaat and the audience have been encouraged to commit murder and arson in the name of Jihad for alleged cases of blasphemy. Provocative literature is being produced and distributed. Fatwas of Wajib-ul-Qatl (obligation to kill) are in vogue. Fabricated police cases have been registered against Ahmadis. Threats of dire consequences have been conveyed in letters. Anti-Ahmadiyya banners have been put up at public locations. A campaign to implement an anti-Ahmadiyya boycott is being fought in various institutions including places of education.” Three year imprisonment for wearing shirt with Kalima on it Mirpur Khas, Sindh; July 10, 2010: The Additional Session Judge of Mirpur Khas, Zareena Abbasi, sentenced Mr. Tahir Ahmad to three years in prison, for wearing a T-shirt on which the Kalima (Islamic creed) was written. The case was registered in 1999. The youth was prosecuted for 11 years. Over the years, he has spent long periods in prison which has had adverse affect on his mental health. The incident which led to his arrest is mentioned below. Mr. Tahir Ahmad Nadeem received a T-shirt from a relative in the U.S. The Kalima (Islamic creed) was beautifully written on its front. He put it on and went to the town. There, mullas and some gangsters noticed his shirt and attacked him. They grabbed him, beat him up, tore off his shirt and kept it with them. Later in the day, the police raided his house and arrested him. They responded to the threats of the mulla, who threatened to create a law and order situation, close down the city and burn the Ahmadiyya mosque. Rather than arresting those who endangered the peace, the administration arrested the victim and charged him under section PPC 295-A. If upheld in a court, the youth could have ended up in prison for 10 years. Sher Khan, the DSP reported to the mullas that the police had accepted their demand and a criminal case had been registered. At the insistence of the mulla, the police again raided the residence of the victim in search of similar garments. None were found. However, the inspector took away two copies of the Holy Quran saying that it was illegal for Ahmadis to keep the Quran at their homes. During the night, the police beat up the youth severely and obtained some inconsequential community information from him. The police pushed their cowardly and shameful act further by taking steps to refer the victim’s case to an Anti-Terrorist Court. Thereafter, at some stage the police applied the more serious PPC 295-C (the Blasphemy law) to the case and added the Ahmadi-specific PPC 298-C. The judge held that the accused used no derogatory remark in respect of the Holy Prophet, but held him guilty of posing as a Muslim. So under the PPC 298-C she awarded the youth the maximum penalty. The accused will receive the benefit for the period he remained in jail, during the trial. A young man, who was in normal physical and mental health, has been destroyed by the joint efforts of the mulla, the state and the society. Registration of police case 1 Faisalabad: It was reported last month that at the insistence of extremist mullas, the police detained an Ahmadi on false accusation of distributing the daily Alfazl, an Ahmadiyya publication, to non-Ahmadi homes. It has since been learnt that the case was registered against Mr. Asghar Ali of Mustafa Abad under Ahmadi-specific PPC 298-C, on June 29, 2010 in FIR No. 633/2010 in Police Station Batala Colony, Faisalabad. Mr. Ali was arrested, but a court released him on bail a few days later. He will now face the charges in a court. Faisalabad continues to be a tinder box due to sectarian and inter-religious tensions. The police remain soft towards the extremists; this encourages them to undertake aggression and violence against other groups, which escalates the tension. In this particular case also, the police, rather than being tough with religious thugs, placated them by registering a case against an innocent man, on the basis of fabricated evidence. This attitude of the authorities leads eventually to the type of violence in which two Christians were murdered in court premises in Faisalabad a few days ago. Ahmadis escape another attack! Lahore; July 15, 2010: A man came to the Shalamar Town in a rickshaw and got off near the Ahmadiyya mosque. Reportedly he walked away without paying the fare. When the driver asked for the fare he ran away. The driver told the constable standing nearby that the man was wearing a jacket under his clothes. The policeman ran after him, but could not catch him. A loaded magazine fell from the suspect’s pocket while running; the police took it under possession. The police raided the whole area but could not find him. Attack on Ahmadis in District Sheikhupura Chak UCC, Sheikhupura; July 13, 2010: Four men equipped with firearms arrived in the village on foot. They went to the Ahmadiyya guest house, took their positions and started firing. Automatic rifles were used and the firing was intense. They targeted the residence of Mr. Mubashir Ahmad, president of the local Ahmadiyya community. They fired a rocket into his house but fortunately it did not explode. They retreated in response to the firing undertaken in defence. They left the village under cover of intensive firing. A loud explosion also rocked the village. Fortunately no one was killed. There were bullet holes on the gate and on the walls of Mr. Mubashir’s house and the guest house. Empty cartridges were found from various locations, and the police took these away. An incident in Rabwah Rabwah; July 2, 2010: The authorities have conveyed to Ahmadis that Rabwah could be a priority target of terrorists, so they should take appropriate and effective security measures. As such the residents are on high alert and have undertaken essential measures like raising outer walls and installing road barriers. However, as the Ahmadi public is not trained adequately in the art of defence, this poses a problem. On July 2, 2010 a resident mulla accompanied by two others and a woman in a car, came across a road-block. He took offence at this, and was very harsh with the duty personnel. At this, a young man, fired at the car to show that he was serious about defense. No one was harmed, but the car was hit at the front. Two or three other youth on duty also fired in the air in sympathy. At this the police arrived. The community officials took serious notice of this incident and relieved the young man and his superior from their duties. The mullas made a great hue and cry over the incident. The police responded with their usual imbalance to the mullas’ protest and booked initially as many as 11 Ahmadis including the president of the Ahmadiyya community of Rabwah, who had been abroad for 2 weeks on leave. He was abroad on the day of the incident. The police registered the case under PPCs 109, 148/149, 324/427 at Police Station Chenab Nagar. Mr. Ejaz Ahmad was arrested. His plea for bail was rejected by the magistrate. Erasure of Kalima by the police Chak Mangla, Sargodha; July 17, 2010: The Kalima (Islamic creed) was written on the outside wall of the Ahmadiyya mosque in Chak Mangla. The police arrived there in the dark hours of 17 July and erased it. Earlier, the police had forced an Ahmadi to remove from the mosque interior a plate on which the Kalima was written. Threat to Rabwah Rabwah; July 18, 2010: A note conveying serious threat was thrown inside an Ahmadiyya mosque in Darul Fadl, Rabwah. Translation: “Islam – Zindabad (long live), Mirzai – Murdabad (may perish) O Mirzais! Mend your ways and do not put our self-restraint to test. There is still time to embrace Islam. Do not go to your places of worship this Friday. You will not see your children and your place of worship again if you hold a Friday Prayer. Remember the Friday, otherwise … That’s all Servant of Khatme Nabuwwat Islam Allah-o-Akbar (God is the greatest)” Leaders of Khatme Nabuwwat faction claim to be religious and non-violent. This message, however, confirms that they promote violence and terror. Counter-Qadianiat course and a comment Chiniot; July 21, 2010: The daily Aman, Faisalabad reported the following: Counter-Qadianism course commences in Chiniot at Adarah Da‘wat-o-Irshad The course will last 15-days; Maulana Ibrahim and Ilyas Chinioti will deliver special lectures. This course was started by Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Chinioti in his youth; it has been held regularly ever since. “The students will become missionaries for Khatme Nabuwwat”, said Mohammad Sana Ulla, Nazim Propaganda Adarah Da‘wat-o-Irshad. He was speaking the other day to the media. He further said, “… Special lectures will be delivered by Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim of Mandi Bahauddin, a great polemicist, Maulana Ilyas Chinioti MPA, polemicist for Islam, Maulana Mushtaq Ahmad, and Maulana Mehr Muhammad of Mianwali.