Pakistan: Ahmadiyya community’s place of worship vandalised in Sargodha

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 (ANI): Ahmadiyya community’s place of worship in the Ghooghiat region of the Sargodha district in Pakistan’s Punjab province was vandalised on Sunday, The News International reported.

A police official who wanted to remain anonymous confirmed the incident. A police official said that the attackers have been arrested by the police, as per the news report. Ahmadiyya community in a press release called attacking and demolishing their worship places by mobs a “blatant violation” of Pakistan’s constitution, as per The News International report. They further said that this place of worship is 118 years old.

“Attacking and demolishing Ahmadiyya worship places by mobs is a blatant violation of Pakistan’s Constitution and Justice Tasadduq Hussain Jilani’s decision in 2014. This place of worship is 118 years old,” the Ahmadiyya community said in the press release, as per The News International report.

Earlier in February, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its report questioned the role of the local administration and police in incidents of mob violence against religious minorities in Gujranwala, the Dawn reported.

In the report, the HRCP fact-finding mission has raised concern over the alarming rise in the persecution of members of the Ahmadiyya community in HGujranwala and surrounding regions, particularly the desecration of their grave sites of worship, as per the Dawn report.

The HRCP fact-finding mission has said that First information reports (FIRs) have been filed against the community members for sacrificing animals on Eid, as per the Dawn report.

The HRCP’s report said that the civil administration officials in Gujranwala and Wazirabad were directly involved in destroying the minarets of Ahmadi sites of worship in December 2022 and January 2023, as per the news report. The administration took action after objections were raised by members of a local political-religious outfit.

The administration has claimed that the action was taken in order to circumvent the threat of mob violence, as per the Dawn report. However, the report said that the way the matter was handled only increased the rising hostility towards the Ahmadiya community and increased the vulnerability of Ahmadi residents in the region.