Express Tribune: As has been the case since 1985, the country’s 200,000 Ahmadis will not be casting their ballots on May 11. They remain a community without representation and voice, marginalised within a society where they have been subjected to ceaseless discrimination, denied jobs and education, ostracised, beaten and sometimes subjected to brutal terrorist attacks. The Ahmadis, many of whom have fled the country in droves, were officially declared “non-Muslim” in the 1970s, the state determining their faith.
Since then, the state has adopted increasingly vicious policies. In 1985, under the late General Ziaul Haq, a new form was introduced in which voters who declared themselves Muslim had to denounce the Ahmadi faith. As the Ahmadis refused to do so, they were placed on separate rolls as “non-Muslims” under the separate electorate system. While the joint electorate was revived in 2002, as a result of extremist protests, a separate roll was created for Ahmadis. This policy has since been retained, with the Election Commission of Pakistan using NADRA data to create a separate list for Ahmadis. A community spokesman has made it clear they will not vote as non-Muslims. The group thus remains disenfranchised, while, as the spokesman has said, the appearance of their addresses on the NADRA list opens up new dangers for them.
Categories: Ahmadis And Pakistan, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia
“no organ or individual has the right to determine the faith of a citizen” Crux of the matter. Salute to ET saying so boldly. Believe me if such approach is implemented in the country many problems will start getting resolved. To my knowledge thousands of loyal and faithful Ahmadies contributing a lot to the progress of many countries as they never got justice and fair chance in their own country. Just imagine the era when Ch Zafarullah, MM Ahmad and Dr Salam were considered as main stream Pakistanis how high was the status of Pakistani all over the world. See and compare it today. It is encouraging to note that now voices are being raised for the atrocities committed against this community. Hopefully if majority of Pakistanis can support this view point soon a new dawn can appear for Pakistan.