– gunmen kill members of Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority
– Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority targeted by gunmen.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
ISLAMABAD —
Authorities in central Pakistan have reported the tragic deaths of two members of the Ahmadi community in separate incidents of gun violence. The shootings occurred in the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab, the most populous province in the country. The victims, aged 62 and 30, were targeted by unknown assailants.
Punjab has been a hotspot for violence against the Ahmadi community, which has faced persecution in Pakistan for many years. The local police have launched an investigation into the killings, and one suspect has already been apprehended.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, representatives of the Ahmadi community have pointed fingers at Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a far-right religious political party known for its incendiary rhetoric against religious minorities. TLP leaders have been accused of encouraging violence and hatred towards Ahmadis, using derogatory language and calling for violent actions against them.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community considers itself to be Muslim, but the Pakistani government officially declared them as non-Muslims in 1974. Subsequent amendments to the laws in 1984 further marginalized the community, restricting their religious practices and freedom of expression.
Pakistan has come under scrutiny for its treatment of religious minorities, including Christians. In a recent incident in Sargodha, a Christian man named Nazir Masih was brutally attacked by a mob after being falsely accused of blasphemy. The violence resulted in severe injuries, and Masih later succumbed to his wounds in the hospital.
This incident reignited memories of a horrific attack on Christians in Jaranwala in 2023, where dozens of churches were burned and properties destroyed over false allegations of blasphemy. Blasphemy accusations in Pakistan can incite mob violence, with suspects often facing lynching or unjust imprisonment.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, with laws prescribing severe penalties for those deemed to have insulted Islam. While no one has been executed under these laws, the mere accusation of blasphemy can have deadly consequences.
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– Gunmen kill members Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority
– Gunmen kill members Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority.
