22 members of Ahmadiyya community held in Sialkot
Imran Gabol Published March 2, 2025
LAHORE: Daska (Sialkot) police on Saturday arrested 22 members of the Ahmadiyya community for offering prayers in their religious place.
The police registered a case under Section 298(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which prohibits individuals of the Qadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves “Ahmadis” or by any other name) from posing as Muslims, calling their faith Islam, preaching or propagating their faith, or outraging the religious feelings of Muslims.
The complaint was lodged by Hamza Asif, a resident of Mohalla Totiyanwala, who stated that he was passing near the house of Nasrullah Khan Sahi, an Ahmadi, and saw people offering Friday prayers.
He alerted the police which arrived at the scene, took 22 individuals into custody, and registered the case.
Ahmadiyya community spokesperson Aamir Mahmood stated that members of their community had gathered in the Baitul Zikr and were observing their religious sermons when `religious extremists’ began hurling threats. He mentioned that the community members alerted the police, which arrested 22 members, including children and teenage boys.
Mahmood asserted that the members were observing their religious sermons in a cordoned-off place marked as Baitul Ziker and that, under the constitution, they could do so.
Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Shehzad explained that, due to an encroachment operation, a part of the wall of Baitul Zikr was demolished.
He said the community members gathered on Friday to construct the worship place after the operation and began offering Friday prayers.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025
source https://www.dawn.com/news/1895267/22-members-of-ahmadiyya-community-held
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FIR registered against Ahmadis for performing Islamic practice in Daska
Those who were seen performing practice on Friday were handed over to police
01 Mar, 2025
A First Information Report has been registered against some members of the Ahmadiyya community for allegedly performing an Islamic practice in Daska city of Silakot district.
They were allegedly seen doing such a practice by a complainant on Friday in a building next to a mansion owned by a community member in Punjab’s city.
“The complainant said he heard a speech related to Friday when he was passing through the building. He stopped and saw that a person was delivering a speech and 26 people were sitting in front of him,” the FIR stated.
The complaint, registered at the Daska Police Station, invoked Section 298C (person of Quadiani group, etc., calling himself a Muslim or preaching or propagating his faith) of Pakistan Penal Code.
The report alleged that the minority community cannot perform such practices as their members distract Muslims from the religion. The complainant, Hamza Asif Butt, claimed that such an event had hurt Muslims’ sentiments.
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It added that the people inside the building were handed over to the police after he dialed helpline 15 on his phone.
But the community claimed that at least 21 members were arrested. In a statement, the community’s spokesperson claimed that they were sent on a judicial remand after being produced in the judicial magistrate court.
It also accused the police in Gujranwala of demolishing a minaret of a 120-year-old Ahmadiyya place of worship by using a grinder. The community’s spokesperson called for the protection of Ahmadis.
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Wow! Pakistan must be a very peaceful and law abiding place, if the police has nothing else to do than arresting people for praying…