Another Ahmadi man attacked in Pakistan amid rising violence against religious community
Islamabad, Sep 23 (IANS) As violence against the Ahmadiyya community continues unabated in Pakistan, another Ahmadi Muslim man was attacked in Punjab province, leaving him seriously injured, a leading minority rights organisation highlighted on Wednesday.
According to Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), Hamid Javed was attacked with a knife by an unidentified man in the Lathianwala area of Faisalabad district on September 21, while he was returning home.
The rights body noted that this was the third reported attack on Ahmadi Muslims in Punjab within one month.
“For Ahmadi Muslims, these incidents are not isolated crimes. They are part of a painful reality in which people can be threatened, attacked, or killed because of their faith. Their religious identity is repeatedly turned into a source of danger rather than a matter of personal freedom,” the VOPM said.
“Ahmadis are denied the safety and freedom that every citizen should have. They live under constant pressure from hatred, discrimination and fear of faith-based violence. When attacks are not prevented, and those responsible are not held accountable, the message received by the Ahmadi community is devastating: their lives and their right to practise their faith are not being protected equally,” it added.
Earlier this week, VOPM expressed grave concern over the relentless targeting of Ahmadis in Pakistan, where violence, intimidation and mob activity have followed them from the workplace to places of worship and their homes, with attackers allegedly emboldened by the climate of impunity.
Highlighting the escalating atrocities against the Ahmadiyya community, the rights body said that two Ahmadi Muslims — Malik Mahmood Mubarak, 70, and his son Ayaz, 40 — were shot in Sargodha district of Punjab on September 19, while travelling back home. The rights body noted that both survived, but no arrests have been reported.
Weeks before the shooting, it said, on September 2, 65-year-old Mirza Safdar Mahmood was killed near Kot Ahmad Shah area in Mandi Bahauddin city in the province while travelling to an Ahmadi place of worship.
Stressing that impunity is not an accident but a policy choice, the VOPM said: “Pakistan must protect Ahmadi citizens, investigate every attack promptly, prosecute perpetrators under international standards, and provide remedies to victims. It must also review laws and administrative measures that enable discrimination and incitement, including the forfeiture of religious publications. Until then, every bullet that misses today will be read as a promise for tomorrow.”
Recently, the United Nations experts voiced serious concern over continued discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, while calling on authorities to ensure their safety and uphold the country’s international human rights commitments.
–IANS
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