PAKISTAN: The houses of Ahmadis are under attack and the police are providing protection to the attackers
ISSUES: Religious intolerance, torture, impunity, no rule of law
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The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the attacks on the houses belonging to Ahmadis. The attackers were from two religious organizations, the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SP) and Khatm-e-Nabowat (KN) and were provided with protection by the police during the attack. The local in-charge of the Ahmadiya Jamat was seriously injured when he was beaten by the crowd and dumped on the street as if he was dead.
The members of the Ahmadiya community are virtually under house arrest and the police have warned them to vacate the houses. The member of the national assembly from the ruling party of Punjab province and the highest police officer from the district have extended their support to the attackers in order to get votes in the coming elections.
Please, do not waste your valuable time writing to Pakistani authorities.
Write to Foreign Ministers/ Secretaries of US, Canada, UK & other civilized countries.
To your elected leaders.
Well, others keep trying: See this letter from Jonathan M.A. Ghaffar, who is suggesting that we all write to the President of Pakistan. (You can of course also use these details to write to the authorities suggested by brother Anwar Yousafzai).
Edit the letter below as desired and insert name and country.
To: publicmail@president.gov.pk
Subject: PAKISTAN: Pakistani Police and Government supporting Terrorists!
Dear President of Pakistan,
PAKISTAN: The houses of Ahmadis are under attack and the police are providing protection to the attackers
Name of victims:
1. Mr. Malik Maqsood Ahmed Anjum
2. Mr. Malik Hayat
3. Malik Mehmood
4. Mr. Nsir Kumhar
5. Mr. Mistri Muhammad Hussain
6. Mr. Iftekhar Ahmed
7. Mr. Ahmaed Jalal
All are residents of Shamsabad village, Choonia sub district, Qasoor district, Punjab province
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Rana Muhammad Ishaque, Member of National Assembly, PML-N
2. Mr. Syed Khurram Ali, district police officer (DPO) district Qasoor Punjab
3. Inspector, Tariq Awan, former station head officer (sho) of Choonia police station, Coonia, Qasoor district,
4. Inspector Asghar, Choonia police station, Coonia, Qasoor district, Punjab province
Date of incident: 25 March 2013
Place of incident: Shamsabad village, Choonia sub district, Qasoor district, Punjab province
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the attack on the houses of the Ahmadiyya community in sub district Choonia, district Qasoor, Punjab where the people are virtually under house arrest. The police and members of banned organizations have threatened them to vacate the village otherwise they will all face further danger.
I have been informed that yesterday, (March 25), a crowd of more than 60 persons attacked the house of Mr. Malik Maqsood Ahmed Anjum, a resident of Shamsabad, sub district, Choonia, district Qasoor, Punjab. The family members including women and children locked themselves inside for their protection but the crowd broke open the doors and dragged all of them out. Anjum was beaten by the crowd with iron rods, sticks and fists and kicked before the family, forced to convert to “Islam†and leave Ahmadi sect. When he fell unconscious the attackers left him on the road thinking that he was dead.
I am appalled to learn that when the attack was conducted there were 10 policemen present at the scene but they did not intervene to stop the violence. After the incident the police party from Choonia police station arrived and rather than providing medical assistance to the victim threw him in a police jeep thinking that he was dead.
The police took him to the district hospital of Choonia where Anjum was found to be still alive and the police left him and ran away. They have announced in the Shamsabad village that all the Ahmadis should immediately leave their houses and vacate the village as the local people will not tolerate them in their village.
I have also learned that the attackers were from a banned organization, the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SP) and also from Khatm-e-Nabowat (KN) and they will no longer tolerate Ahmadis, not only in the village but in the entire province of Punjab. The attackers have told the Ahmadis that they should learn a lesson from the death of the former governor of Punjab, Mr. Salman Taseer, who was killed by his police guard.
It is evident that the attack on the Ahmadis in Shamsabad village has been in preparation since the month of January as the general elections were foreseen in the month of May. At the start of the New Year, four Ahmadis houses were attacked and the residents were beaten and taken to police station at Choonia. At the station they were asked to take the compensation for the wreckage of their buildings as they would not be paid the actual prices of the house. When Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Tariq Awan, forced and threatened them they agreed to take a meager amount and left their houses.
During these incidents the elder brother of Anjum was also forced to take out his son from the government degree college. To force their demand the crowd from the banned organization, the SP, took out a procession and attacked his house and the principal of the college was forced to rusticate the student, Ahmad Jamal.
In the month of February members and representatives of the Ahmadiyya community met with district police officer (DPO) and informed him of the situation. The DPO, Mr. Syed Khurram Ali, assured them that for the protection of the Ahmadis he will construct a police kiosk and it is appalling that when construction of the kiosk started the local people with the help of one Inspector of Police, Asghar, stopped the construction. They also got help from Mr. Rana Ishaque, the member of the national assembly (MNA) from the ruling party of the Punjab province. Mr. Rana also threatened the DPO for providing protection to Ahmadis.
Due to the nexus between the police and banned religious organization, Mr. Malik Hayat, Mr. Malik Mehmood, Mr. Nasir Kumhar, Mr. Mistri Muhammad Hussain and Iftekhar Ahmed were forced to leave their houses. The Ahmadis remaining in the village are under house arrest and might be attached at any time if not provided with protection by the government.
Therefore I urge you to immediately stop the attacks on the families and houses of the Ahmadiyya community and provide protection to the families so as to ensure their safety. The police officers that provided protection for the attackers must be investigated and punished for their failure to conduct their responsibilities. The member of the national assembly, Mr. Rana Muhammad Ishaque, must be taken to task for his part in the attacks and for urging the police to halt their protection of the Ahmadiyya community.
I look forward to your urgent intervention in this matter.
Yours sincerely,
YOUR NAME
COUNTRY
Well, I’ve sent it off and to other various organizations like Amnesty, Kenya Human Rights, Transparency International, etc., and of course to the above mentioned Presidential address.
But, I’ve just got a notification that the message cannot be delivered as it’s over quota!
In fact, that’s the response I always get from any ‘official’ email address of Pakistan.
It would seem that not only their cave-men like behaviour but also their psyche dwells in that ancient time! Meaning they are not living in the 21st Century…. or pretend not to.