Reports released by the Ahmadi community based in Pakistan as well as an international organization advocating for Ahmadi rights reveal the extent of discrimination that the community faced across Pakistan during Eid-ul-Azha 2026. A constant threat of surveillance, police action, confiscation of sacrificial animals, and criminal prosecution were some of the issues faced by the Ahmadis.
19 Min Read
June 6, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Reports released by the Ahmadi community show the extent of discrimination that the community has faced across Pakistan during Eid-ul-Azha 2026. A constant threat of surveillance, police action, confiscation of sacrificial animals, and criminal prosecution were some of the issues faced by the Ahmadis during Eid as well as in the days preceding it.
One organization, the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC), expressed grave concern in its report over the treatment of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan during Eid, as authorities and extremists across multiple regions intensified surveillance, arrests, detentions, and restrictions aimed at preventing Ahmadis from observing one of the most important religious occasions in the Islamic calendar.
For Ahmadis in Pakistan, any act related to the religious practice of Islam is associated with threat to violence and arrest, under certain laws. Any kind of observation of the religious tenets around Eid, including praying, sacrifice of animals, etc, even within the privacy of their own homes and private property, exposes them to police intervention, arrest, detention, criminal prosecution and massive mobs of extremists chanting outside their homes.
Organized campaigns
The incidents occurred against the backdrop of a coordinated nationwide campaign by extremist organisations, bar associations, and anti-Ahmadi pressure groups who openly called upon authorities to prevent Ahmadis from observing Eid-ul-Adha. In the days leading up to the festival, several legal and bar associations and religious groups issued statements and letters demanding restrictions on Ahmadi religious practices and urging police action against Ahmadis engaged in Eid-related activities.
Surveillance and monitoring of private religious practice
The report reveals that Ahmadis were subjected to extraordinary levels of monitoring during Eid-ul-Azha.
Reports received by IHRC suggest that anti-Ahmadi complaint networks and dedicated reporting mechanisms were actively used to identify, monitor, and report Ahmadis believed to be performing sacrifice. In numerous cases, police action was triggered solely on the basis of complaints alleging that Ahmadis were engaging in religious practices associated with Eid-ul-Azha.
This situation raises serious concerns regarding the right to privacy and freedom of religion. The fact that individuals carrying out religious rituals within the confines of their own homes, courtyards, and private properties can be subjected to surveillance, reporting, and subsequent police intervention demonstrates the extent to which Ahmadis are denied the ability to practice their faith free from fear and intrusion.
The effective monitoring of private religious observance has created an atmosphere in which Ahmadi families feel constantly watched and vulnerable to criminal proceedings for engaging in acts of worship that would be entirely lawful for other citizens.
Arbitrary arrests and detentions
IHRC documented several incidents during Eid-ul-Azha in which Ahmadis were detained or arrested despite carrying out religious activities on private premises. Evidence further indicates that police in multiple districts confiscated animals owned by Ahmadis, with such actions commencing even before the start of Eid-ul-Azha. These pre-emptive measures demonstrate a systematic campaign aimed at obstructing Ahmadi religious observance and denying community members the ability to practise their faith peacefully.
In one incident in Punjab, Ahmadis performing Qurbani within the boundary walls of homes were reported through emergency complaint channels set up by extremist. Police subsequently arrived at the location, detained members of the community, confiscated sacrificial meat, and initiated legal proceedings. Two Ahmadis were detained under preventive detention orders and remained incarcerated for several days.
In another incident in Gujranwala district, an Ahmadi man carrying out a sacrifice on behalf of a deceased family member became the subject of a complaint submitted through an anti-Ahmadi reporting mechanism. Police arrived at the scene, detained the individual and others present, and subsequently registered a criminal case under Pakistan’s anti-Ahmadi provisions. Despite representations made on behalf of the community, the accused was arrested and transferred to prison on judicial remand. These incidents demonstrate how ordinary religious observance can rapidly escalate into criminal proceedings for members of the Ahmadiyya Community.
Criminalisation of religious identity
The arrests and legal actions carried out during Eid are not isolated incidents but form part of a broader pattern of persecution enabled by Pakistan’s discriminatory legal framework. Sections 298-B and 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code continue to criminalise fundamental aspects of Ahmadi religious expression and identity. These provisions are frequently invoked to justify police action against Ahmadis, even when activities take place on private property and pose no threat to public order.
The use of these laws during a major religious festival highlights the extent to which Ahmadis remain unable to exercise their faith on an equal basis with other citizens.
Climate of fear and intimidation
The report reiterates that the events surrounding Eid-ul-Azha 2026 have reinforced a climate of fear already experienced by many Ahmadi families throughout Pakistan. Community members reported concerns that neighbours, local activists, complaint networks, and extremist groups were actively monitoring their activities during the Eid period. The knowledge that private religious observance could result in police intervention, detention, or criminal prosecution created significant anxiety among families wishing to mark the occasion peacefully. Such conditions amount to a profound infringement of freedom of religion or belief and contribute to ongoing psychological pressure upon an already vulnerable religious minority.
IHRC has called upon the international community and the Government of Pakistan to immediately cease the targeting of Ahmadis for engaging in peaceful religious practices; end the surveillance, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms used to interfere with private religious observance; release all individuals detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief; withdraw cases arising from peaceful religious activities carried out during Eid-ul-Azha and to ensure that law enforcement agencies uphold constitutional and international protections relating to privacy, religious freedom, and equal treatment before the law.
IHRC has also urged the international community, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Union, the Commonwealth, and democratic governments worldwide, to raise these incidents with Pakistani authorities and press for meaningful reforms to protect the fundamental rights of the Ahmadiyya Community.
The report concludes that the events of Eid-ul-Adha 2026 demonstrate that Ahmadis in Pakistan continue to face a system of discrimination that extends beyond public life and into the privacy of their own homes. It stresses that no individual should face arrest, detention, surveillance, or criminal prosecution simply for observing a religious festival peacefully and within the confines of private property.
Sitting District Govt Head ‘bans’ Ahmadis from sacrifice
Meanwhile the Ahmadiyya community based in Rabwah has also released a 42 page official record of how many cases took place in and around Eid. Perhaps one of the most shocking incidents was the claims made by a government official.
Around 24 May 2026, the Deputy Commissioner of Nankana Sahib, Muhammad Tasleem Akhtar Rao, publicly posted on the official DC Nankana Sahib social media page the decisions of a District Peace Committee (Zila Amn Committee) meeting chaired by him and the DPO, Arsalan Zahid. The post explicitly states: ‘Qadianis will not be given permission for Qurbani (sacrifice) — strict action will be taken against violations.’
This constitutes an explicit, public declaration by an officer of the state that members of a specific religious minority will be denied a constitutionally protected right. It is directly contrary to PLD 2014 SC 699 and Article 20 of the Constitution.
Significance of this proclamation
The DC Nankana Sahib’s public declaration is not merely a private administrative communication — it is an official public statement by a district government head that a specific religious minority will be denied a constitutional right. It violates Article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees freedom of religion to every citizen. It is directly contrary to the binding Supreme Court judgment PLD 2014 SC 699. It constitutes an act of religious discrimination by a public officer, which engages his personal accountability under the Constitution and the law. The Federal Government and the Government of Punjab must immediately repudiate this declaration and direct the DC to retract it.
Bar associations formally demand suppression of Ahmadi worship
The report also details the documented incidents where Bar Associations In a recent development, bar associations — bodies of licensed legal professionals who are officers of the court, bound by professional oaths to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law — have issued formal letters and press releases to police authorities demanding that Ahmadis be prevented from performing Qurbani and from using Islamic symbols.
According to information, letters were sent by the Bar Associations of Lahore High Court, Balakot (Mansehra), Kasur District, Zafarwal Tehsil Bar, Peshawar, District Khushab, Daska (Sialkot) and Karachi.
The Bar Association’s conduct in harassing the Ahmadiyya Community is not only confined to the closure of Ahmadiyya places of worship or barring Ahmadis from performing their religious practices inside their boundary walls. Recently, a government civil servant from the Ahmadi community, Nabeel Munir, was awarded a high rank Civil Award the Sitara e Imtiaz. In response, the Central Bar Association Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir issued a notification on 19.05.2026 that the award should be immediately taken back from Nabeel Munir and an announcement should be made immediately in this regard.
In parallel with bar association letters, extremist organizations have issued formal public notices and digital propaganda specifically targeting Ahmadis ahead of Eid-ul-Adha 2026 including the following incidents:
• Alaami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat (Chenab Nagar/Rabwah): Printed notice declaring its intent to prevent Ahmadis from Eid prayers and Qurbani, citing the 1993 SCMR 1718 and 2024 Supreme Court judgment in flagrant distortion of those decisions
• Jamiat ul Quraish Mutton Association (Rawalpindi, 20 May 2026): Formal circular instructing members that no Ahmadi shall purchase livestock for Qurbani, and directing butchers to refuse slaughtering animals for Ahmadis. Calls on members to report violations to Forum and police helpline 15. This is organised commercial discrimination on religious grounds.
• TLP Digital Campaign: Widely circulated posters bearing the TLP emblem instructing followers that Ahmadis performing Qurbani should be reported to police helpline 15 — explicitly recruiting the public as a surveillance network against private Ahmadi worship.
• Alaami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Daily Calendar: Public notice stating Ahmadis cannot perform Qurbani, urging members to report any Ahmadi sacrifice to police.
Police-Coerced Surety Bonds and Affidavits Documentary evidence confirms that police in various districts have coerced Ahmadis into executing formal surety bonds and affidavits undertaking not to perform Qurbani:
• Faisalabad / Jaranwala (Chak No. 194 RB, Tehsil Jaranwala): A sworn and attested surety bond executed before an Oath Commissioner, in which five named Ahmadi community members undertake compliance with Supreme Court judgments PLD 2014 SC 699 and PLD 2022 SC 385 regarding private worship — and covenant no illegal act will be committed. The document ironically cites the very judgments that protect Ahmadi rights while being used as an instrument of their suppression.
• Chakwal (DSP Choa Saiden Shah): An e-Stamp surety bond (Composition Deed) extracted from Ahmadi residents of Choa Saiden Shah, Tehsil Choa Saiden Shah, District Chakwal — undertaking full compliance with the law and SOPs in connection with Eid-ul-Azha.
• Kala Gujran, Jhelum (Ahmadiyya Worship Place, Kala Gujran): A signed Iqrar-nama (declaration) extracted by police from the President of the local Ahmadiyya place of worship, undertaking that morning prayers will be completed and the premises locked immediately thereafter, that no Qurbani will be performed, and that the signatory will be held personally accountable for the entire community.
• Faisalabad (Thana Dijkot): Statement extracted from Ahmadi community members at Thana Dijkot, District Faisalabad, undertaking compliance with all SOPs and government orders regarding Eid-ul-Azha, and confirmation as head of the local Ahmadiyya community.
FIR NO. 529 — AHMAD NAGAR POLICE STATION, DISTRICT GUJRANWALA — SECTION 298C PPC
In one incident an Ahmadi man was booked and sent to jail for sacrifice of an animal on Eid.
The children of the a deceased Ahmadi man, Sarwar, requested a fellow Ahmadi — Anwar — to perform the ritual of sacrifice on behalf of their late father, as they themselves were based in Germany. As Anwar was performing the sacrifice, anti-Ahmadi activists reported the matter to the police complaint cell. Police arrived and arrested Anwar along with three butchers. At the scene, lawyers representing the anti-Ahmadiyya activists appeared and pressured the police to register a case under PPC Section 295-C. Community representatives also presented their position. Nevertheless, the police at Ahmad Nagar Police Station, District Gujranwala, registered FIR No. 529 against Mr. Anwar under Section 298-C PPC, on the complaint of Assistant Sub-Inspector Tahir Mahmood. Following registration of the FIR, Mr. Anwar was arrested and sent to Gujranwala Jail on judicial remand.
Many other incidents also took place including sending applications to the district police to act on Ahmadis.
The report points out what distinguishes 2026 from previous years – not just the geographic scale (harassment documented simultaneously across Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Azad Kashmir), but majorly the qualitative character of the actors involved.
In 2026, the harassment campaign has been actively championed and formalized by licensed legal professionals (at least nine bar associations) issuing formal demands to police, trade and commercial associations (butchers’ associations) issuing directives to their members; organised extremist networks conducting coordinated digital incitement campaigns, police authorities extracting coerced surety bonds from Ahmadis in various districts, and private citizen applications demanding police action against their religious practices.
This multi-actor coordination represents a structural intensification of the campaign against Ahmadis that goes beyond routine seasonal harassment. It reflects a growing normalization of persecution that, if left unchecked, will set an increasingly severe template for the years to come.
Nature and scope of violations
By certain state actors (police and administration)
• Forced surety bonds extracted from various districts; threats of arrest and FIR registration in multiple districts; Police visits to Ahmadi households and community leaders to issue warnings and compel signatures and state-facilitated demolition of Ahmadiyya worship place at Jamalpur, Khairpur, Sindh (14 May 2026)
By Bar Associations (Officers of the Court)
Formal written demands to police to suppress constitutionally protected Ahmadi Qurbani — in direct violation of PLD 2014 SC 699 and PLD 2022 SC 385; Demands for criminal proceedings against citizens exercising constitutionally protected rights
By extremists and trade organizations
Commercial boycott circulars instructing butchers and livestock sellers to refuse service to Ahmadis — religiously motivated economic discrimination; Digital campaigns urging surveillance of Ahmadis and reporting to police helpline 15; Mass mobilisation networks to monitor and report private Ahmadi religious conduct.
LAWS VIOLATED
The actions documented constitute violations of the following instruments: Articles 8, 9, 14, 20, and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973; Articles 2 and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 11; Articles 18, 20, 26, and 27 of the ICCPR, to which Pakistan is a State Party; Pakistan’s commitments under its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
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Categories: Ahmadis And Pakistan, Eid-ul-Adha, Pakistan, Pakistan Inter-Faith, Pakistan Police