An Ahmadi man and his son were injured after unknown assailants opened fire on them as they were on their way home. The incident occurred in Sargodha. The two were targeted just weeks after an Ahmadi man was killed in Mandi Bahauddin. Following that incident hate speech, inciting violence against the Ahmadi community could be seen on main University Road in Sargodha. The community is afraid that the violence against them – that had decreased since the crackdown on the TLP – may again be on the rise.
12 Min Read
September 21, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Another targeted attacked was carried out against two Ahmadi men in Sargodha on Saturday, 19 September – Malik Mahmood Mubarak (70) and his son, Ayaz Mubarak (40). According to information, assailants on a motorcycle sped past the two, and opened fire on their vehicle as they were returning home, leaving both father and son injured badly.
“While both Ahmadis survived the attack, the continued violence against members of the community is deeply concerning,” said Amir Mehmood, the spokesperson of the Ahmadiiya community. “Authorities must ensure their immediate protection, arrest those responsible, and take concrete measures to prevent further attacks. We are deeply alarmed by the targeted attacks against Ahmadis in Sargodha.”
FIR details
The incident was reported and registered at the Sajid Shaheed police station in Sargodha, on Sunday September 20.
According to complainant Ayaz Mahmood Mubarak, son of Mahmood Mubarak, belonging to the Awan community, resident of Sargodha. The report was registered under Sections 324 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The location of the incident was given as Khayaban-e-Sadiq, near Farooq Colony, approximately 3 kilometres south of the police station.
According to the statement by the complainant, on 19 September 2026, after closing his shop, the complainant, accompanied by his father Mahmood Mubarak, was travelling in his vehicle towards his home. At approximately 7:40 PM, when they reached a street near their home in the Punjab Colony area, they encountered two unidentified young men.
The report describes them as having a slim/fit build and wearing shalwar kameez. They were riding a motorcycle without a registration number. According to the complainant, one of the unidentified men, armed with a pistol, opened fire directly at him with the intention of killing him.
The report says that three shots were fired. One bullet passed through the complainant’s left arm/shoulder area and struck the left side of his chest. The wording in this portion of the original is somewhat difficult to read.
The complainant states that two individuals Muhammad Shaukat, and another person were nearby. They raised an alarm following which the attackers then fled towards the east on their motorcycle. The complainant states that, apart from the witnesses, they were able to see the incident themselves in the light of the vehicle’s headlights and the streetlights and could identify the accused if they came before them.
The report further states that the unidentified accused fired at the complainant with the intention of killing him, and that the gunfire also hit the vehicle and its windows.
Police response
The report states that police officials, including Muhammad Umar Hayat (C/2131) and Muhammad Irfan (C/1967), were on patrol in a government vehicle/mobile unit when they received information about the incident. They proceeded to the DHQ Hospital, Sargodha, where the injured persons were taken for medical treatment.
Not the first time
Sargodha has recently been seeing a rise in hate speech against the Ahmadi community. On 7 September 2026, banners were seen displayed along the city’s Main University Road, with messages inciting hatred and violence against the community.
Likewise there were stickers seen at a petrol station, inciting violence against the community.
Killing of Ahmadi elder
These incidents where there has been incitement to violence, are preceded by the killing of an Ahmadi man. The 65 year old man Mirza Safdar Mahmood was well known and was head of the Mandi Bahauddin community. His death was sudden and unexpected.
After the crackdown on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in October 2025, reports of hate speech and violence against the Ahmadi community had decreased drastically. However recent incidents have begun to instil fear once again in the community.
There is also a significant legal development regarding the community’s basic rights.
On 9 September 2026, Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court upheld a Punjab government ban on Rohani Khazayeen, a 23-volume collection of writings by Ahmadiyya founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, dismissing petitions challenging the forfeiture of the publications. The ban originated in a June 2014 Punjab Home Department notification issued under Section 99-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure; according to the FCC judgment, an Ulema board had reviewed the material and recommended its forfeiture on the grounds that it could promote hatred among Muslims.
The petitioners argued that the ban violated Article 20 of the Constitution, which protects freedom to profess, practise and propagate religion, but the FCC held that religious freedom is subject to law, public policy and morality and found that the petitioners had not placed sufficient material before the court to establish that the forfeiture was unlawful. The court therefore dismissed the petitions and refused leave to appeal.
The case was Muhammad Abdul Qadoos and connected petitioners v. Province of Punjab and others. The FCC, headed by Justice Aamer Farooq with Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, dismissed a series of petitions challenging Punjab government’s forfeiture/ban of the 23-volume Ahmadi publication.
The challenged action was taken under Section 99-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), concerning forfeiture of publications considered objectionable on specified grounds; and Section 19 of the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002.
The FCC upheld the Lahore High Court position and refused leave to appeal, meaning the petitioners did not get the requested appellate relief from the FCC.
UN takes note
On 7 September, the United Nations also urged Pakistan to take note of and to end the persecution of the Ahmadi community in order to uphold freedom of religion or belief.
UN experts expressed grave concern over continuing reports of discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting members of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, calling on authorities to ensure their protection and uphold the country’s international human rights obligations.
“We are deeply concerned by persistent reports that members of the Ahmadiyya community continue to face harassment, criminal prosecution, violence, and exclusion because of their religious identity,” the experts said.
“Every individual has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. No one should be subjected to discrimination, intimidation, or violence, nor should they be prevented from peacefully manifesting their faith, or face discrimination with respect to any of their human rights.”
The experts had noted with concern reports of past and on-going attacks on Ahmadi places of worship; desecration of graves; interference with peaceful religious observance, including in the context of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha; arrests and prosecutions related to religious practices or identity; and hate speech. These reports underscore the need for effective measures to prevent violence, ensure accountability, and protect vulnerable communities.
“The State has a responsibility to exercise due diligence to prevent human rights violations, investigate allegations promptly and impartially, prosecute those responsible in accordance with international standards, and provide effective remedies to victims,” the experts said.
“Pakistan must break the pattern of impunity that has allowed perpetrators of attacks and incitement to hatred and violence to act without restraint,” they said. “These attacks take place with tacit official complicity whilst the cycle of fear prevents people and institutions from upholding the rights and dignity of these minority groups.”
The events in relation to the recent Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha 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. No individual should face arrest, detention, surveillance, or criminal prosecution simply for observing their religious festivals and practices, the experts said.
They called on the Government of Pakistan to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their religion or belief, enjoy equal protection under the law without discrimination. The experts also urged the Government to review legislation and administrative measures that may be inconsistent with its obligations under international human rights law, including the rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, cultural rights, and equality before the law.
“Combating religious intolerance requires more than responding to individual incidents,” they said. “It requires sustained efforts to foster respect for diversity, counter incitement to hatred and violence, and create an environment in which all religious or belief communities can live in safety and dignity.”
The experts said that they were are in contact with the Government of Pakistan on this matter. They said that they had reaffirmed their readiness to engage in constructive dialogue with authorities and other stakeholders in support of measures that promote inclusion, tolerance, dialogue and strengthen the protection of freedom of religion or belief and the rights of all religious minorities in the country.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadis And Pakistan, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Intolerance, Pakistan, Pakistan Police