Ahmadiyya worship places 'desecrated' by police in Pakistan

Sep 01, 2023

Lahore [Pakistan], September 1 : As the minorities continue to live miserable lives, in another incident, the police allegedly desecrated two Ahmadiyya worship places in Gujrat and Sheikhupura districts of Pakistan during the last two days, reported Dawn.
Members of the Ahmadiyya community told Dawn that Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan supporters approached their house of worship in Shadiwal (Gujrat) and photographed Quranic passages written in the courtyard.
TLP hardliners afterwards filed a complaint with Kunjah police to have the Islamic text removed from the worship space.
The police initially instructed the community to cover the text at the worship location.
Community members proposed erecting a fibre wall around the worship site to conceal the text from public view, but the police did not listen. They alleged that the police summoned a labourer who blue-painted the wall, reported Dawn.
On the demand of TLP workers, police dismantled the minarets of Ahmadiyya community worship places in Sheikhupura.
The community urged Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to preserve their rights, accusing police of occasionally desecrating their worship places in the province rather than taking action against those involved in extremist crimes.
According to Gujrat DPO Ahmad Shah Nawaz, the police did not destroy or desecrate any Ahmaddiyya holy spot, reported Dawn.
Pakistani law prohibits Ahmadis from calling their places of worship mosques or distributing religious literature, reciting the Quran, or using traditional Islamic greetings.
These measures criminalize their daily lives and enable regular attacks on both individuals and organizations.