Government seems to succumb under pressure from extremists
Daily Times Staff Report:
LAHORE: The hate campaign against Ahmadis reached new heights in Pakistan and even innocent children are not spared now.
These were the findings of an annual report, the Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan, released by the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Pakistan on Wednesday. The report said, “There was an open hate campaign against Ahmadis in Pakistan and young children studying in nursery grade classes are not even spared from this horrific discrimination and hatred.” Six Ahmadis lost their lives because of the fact that they were Ahmadis and more than 20 were injured in assassination attempts. “The hate filled posters; stickers, fliers and calendars were openly distributed across Pakistan,” it added. The report specifically mentioned the hate campaigns faced by the Ahmadis in Faisalabad where fliers and leaflets were openly distributed calling people to kill Ahmadis. The government and security agencies failed to take any concrete action against such actions. Punishing the culprits behind these leaflets and hate material was a far cry. The extremists have increased efforts to isolate the community and the campaign to encourage people to boycott Ahmadis and Ahmadi products was also a major issue. Expelling children from educational institutions also increased and even kids studying in nursery were not spared. Ahmadi children faced expulsion from schools or outright refusal by the educational institutions to admit them.
HRRIF UK strongly condemn such discriminatory behaviour of the state agencies and ask the judiciary to take sue moto in this case to establish equal rights if all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs. Pakistani law does provide freedom of religion to all but not Ahmadis for the last 38 years they have been banned to hold their annual conference while opponent Mullahs are allowed to do whatever they like even to openly declare Ahmadis wajbul qatl liable to be killed. This policy if the governments is contrary to the founder Quaid e Azam (ra). When Pakistanis will learn lesson????