PRESSRELEASE // While every aspect of Ahmadi life is under threat, the safety and stability of the society at large is at risk in Pakistan.
Religious extremists of the Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have issued a threat to the Chiniot district administration: “If you do not remove Islamic rituals from places of rituals before October 28, members of the violent group will do so themselves.”
“If the Islamic Rituals are not removed from the Worship Places of the Qadianis we will take the action on our own and the authorities will be responsible for the resulting circumstances. Because the lovers of the Holy Prophet (P B U H) are ready to die for the Honour of the Holy Prophet (P B U H) and we will not hesitate in presenting any sort of sacrifice for this purpose,” the International Human Rights Committee quoted the group.
The Rabwah Secretary of General Affairs was earlier informed that the TLP party has threatened to destroy the Ahmadi Common Graveyard and Bahishti Maqbara (Dar ul Fazal, and Naseer abad Aziz), considered one of the holiest sites for Pakistani Ahmadis. The destruction of gravesites is a violation of religious freedom under international law.
Hate preacher Muhammad Naeem Chattha Qadri, known for his vulgar, abusive and foul language to lead rally with the stated intention to destroy the mosques, graveyards and other buildings in Rabwah. In 2022, he called on his supporters to carry out attacks against pregnant Ahmadi Muslim mothers to “ensure that no new Ahmadis are born” and went on to say, “those babies who are being born, should be killed”. Throughout the speech, the cleric led various slogans including “there is but only one punishment for blasphemers, decapitation”. He is caught on video1 available on social media, but no action has been taken against him. IHRC issued a press release to this effect on 29 September 2022 (ANNEXED).
The ever-escalating verbal and physical violence against Ahmadis in Pakistan is an existential threat to millions of peaceful Pakistanis, who are loyal and law-abiding citizens.
Extremist clerics in Pakistan are tarnishing the name of the country internationally by brandishing extreme blasphemy laws to persecute the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
While incitement to violence is illegal under Pakistani and international law, political and legal authorities have neglected their duties in the face of threatening hate speech against Ahmadi Muslims that has intensified among extremist clerics.
“Silence in the face of such illegal incitement suggests that violence against Ahmadis is acceptable, morally and legally,” the IHRC said.
This incitement to violence and murder is inconsistent with international norms and values concerning freedom of religion and belief, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), on the freedom of religion, and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was ratified by Pakistan in 2008. Three other UN human rights treaties, as well as numerous General Assembly Resolutions and Human Rights Committee comments, prohibit religious discrimination. These speeches make it to viral social media posts and videos also violate Pakistan’s own National Action Plan as well as the recently enacted cybercrime laws because it fuels hatred, discrimination and persecution against members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan.
In July 2024, a group of top UN Human Rights experts including UN Special Rapporteurs urged an “immediate end to discrimination and violence against Ahmadis in Pakistan, citing documented evidence of “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, attacks on places of worship and curtailment of free expression, peaceful assembly and association.” Apparently, their pleas fell on deaf ears.
We call upon the Pakistani authorities to honor their international human rights commitments to protect religious freedom and promote religious tolerance towards the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
We respectfully request all members of the international community to urge the government of Pakistan to take urgent steps to bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by UDHR and ICCPR.
