Ahmadiyyas are a tiny community of about 5 million in Pakistan ( which has a total population of about 240 million ) who have been treated barbarically in Pakistan, like Jews in Nazi Germany.
Ahmadiyyas were declared non Muslims by a Constitutional Amendment in 1974 at the instance of Z.A.Bhutto, who posed as being a great champion of the poor and oppressed, which was just hypocrisy, and the tyrant Gen Zia who issued Ordinance XX in 1984 making it a crime for Ahmadiyyas to ‘pose’ as Muslims or call their place of worship a masjid or call the Ahmadiyyas to prayers by azaan. Ahmadiyyas were forbidden to recite Quranic verses or exchange Islamic greetings publicly or gather on Eid.
For More Updates & Regular Notes Join Our Whats App Group (https://chat.whatsapp.com/DkucckgAEJbCtXwXr2yIt0) and Telegram Group ( https://t.me/legalmaestroeducators ) contact@legalmaestros.com.
Persecution of Ahmadiyyas had started soon after creation of Pakistan. In the 1953 riots hundreds of Ahmadiyyas were massacred, and so also in 1974. But it picked up momentum under Gen Zia’s rule. There have been several massacres of Ahmadiyyas, e.g. in the attack in Lahore on their place of worship in 2010 in which about a hundred were killed. In fact murders of Ahmadiyyas ( often in a ghastly manner e.g. by stoning them to death ) has been a regular feature in Pakistan for decades, with the police being bystanders or even collaborators. They have been barbarically treated, their places of worship vandalised and burnt down , their children harassed, their students victimised, and they were humiliated in various ways e.g. by making them state in their passport application that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, the founder of their sect, was an imposter, and that they were non Muslims.
And what was their ‘crime’ ? That they do not regard Prophet Muhammad as the last Prophet ( which mainstream Muslims believe ) while still calling themselves Muslims.
I am not going into the question whether Ahmadiyyas regard Prophet Muhammad as the last Prophet or not ( some regard Mirza Ghulam Ahmed as a Mahdi or redeemer, not a Prophet ) but assuming they do not, and assert that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed was indeed another Prophet, are they cutting off anyone’s head, are they chopping off anyone’s limbs ? Everyone should be free to believe what he/she wants. That is what Jinnah, who is regarded as the founder of Pakistan, said in his speech of 11th August 1947.
And why should Ahmadiyyas not have a right to call themselves Muslims or call their place of worship a masjid ? If they do so, are they cutting off anyone’s head, are they chopping off anyone’s limbs ? If other Muslims don’t like Ahmadiyyas they need not associate with them or go to the Ahmadiyyas place of worship, but why should they persecute Ahmadiyyas ? To my mind such persecution is gundagardi and barbarism.
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who posed to be liberal and modern, being educated in Oxford, shamelessly hobnobbed with religious bigots like the Tehreeke Labbaik during his election campaign to get votes, and spoke against Ahmadiyyas. He gave a PTI ticket to that rascal Amir Liaquat who anchored a TV programme in which venom was spouted against Ahmadiyyas, resulting in killings of many of them. And soon after he was sworn in as Prime Minister an Ahmadiyya place of worship was burnt down. He also forced out of the Pakistan Economic Advisory Council Atif Mian, a world renowned economist of Princeton University only because he was an Ahmadiyya ( an act for which even his ex wife Jemima condemned him ).
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, whom I had often criticized, gave a praiseworthy judgment in February 2024 releasing on bail, Mubarak Sani, an Ahmadiyya accused of distributing an Ahmadi commentary on the Quran, and observing that Ahmadiyyas had a right to freely practice their religion
However, religious bigots in Pakistan, like the Tehreeke Labbaik, raised a huge hue and cry over this decision
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistan-top-court-amends-religious-freedom-ruling/106137
In August 2024, the Pakistan Supreme Court succumbed to pressure of religious fanatics, and reversed its earlier ruling in favour of Ahmadis
https://justicekatju.com/pakistan-supreme-court-has-disgraced-itself-again-4199d3baa02f
The Lahore High Court Bar Association wrote to the Punjab police asking them to prevent Ahmadiyyas from offering sacrifice on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zoha.
Shame on the Pakistan Supreme Court !
Shame on the Lahore High Court Bar Association !
