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Masudabad Chak 109, District Faisalabad; February 2011: Maulvi Faqir Muhammad of Faisalabad is the same mulla who demanded that the government of the Punjab issue its ill-famed registered letter dated June 27, 2003, which was accorded ‘TOP PRIORITY’ and was titled: LETTER RECEIVED FROM MOULVI FAQIR MOHAMMAD. It contained unworthy instructions to three private schools owned by Ahmadis, such as ‘expose themselves as Qadiani by writing in large plain hand writing on the school boards.’ The authorities continue to be slavishly responsive to this mulla’s dictates, as is apparent from the incident described below. Three policemen visited the Ahmadiyya community in Masudabad at about 3 p.m. on February 6, 2011 and conveyed that Maulvi Faqir Mohammad had intimated to the authorities that Ahmadis had written the Kalima in their mosque and the graveyard. (This reminds one of Taliban rule in Afghanistan when they arrested some Australian priests and charged them for, inter alia, being in possession of the Bible). They instructed Ahmadi elders to present themselves at the police station in Khurrarianwala the next day at 4 p.m. In subsequent meetings with the police, the DSP was sympathetic, and offered the hope of finding a solution. However, one cannot rely upon such statements by Pakistani officials. Sure enough, the DSP, accompanied by the SHO and 15 constables came to the village after sunset on 15 February, unhooked and took away the Kalima from the mosque, that was carved in wood. It is nearly eight years since the government of the Punjab issued the ill-famed TOP PRIORITY letter. It has not learnt its lesson, and is drifting with the tide, headed for the rocks. |
Rawalpindi; February 2, 2011: Mr. Abdul Rauf is a well-known businessman in Gojar Khan, district Rawalpindi. He received a letter at his shop that threatened him with death if he did not change his religion. A few days later while returning home, two men on a motorbike intercepted him and said to him in Punjabi, “You are a Mirzai, stop your antics.” Later, on February 2, as he entered his house, he heard a shot that pierced the gate and hit the wall in front of him. Luckily, he was unhurt. He lodged a report with the police. He is in a constant danger. His family is living in fear. Daska Kot, District Sialkot; February 19, 2011: The police visited the local Ahmadiyya mosque alongwith mullas, who had photographed the Kalima written on the face of the mosque. The clerics demanded that the Kalima should be erased. The police contacted the Ahmadi prayer leader and threatened him with registration of a criminal case and arrest. They took him to the police station. Later they fixed tiles over the Kalima, and let go of the Ahmadiyya missionary. Islamabad; January 28, 2011: A suspect wearing a security uniform tried to get closer to the Ahmadiyya mosque in Islamabad during the Friday sermon. An Ahmadi guard on duty told him to stop. He, however, kept on heading for the mosque. The guard fired a shot in the air to warn him. The intruder stopped and pointing to his chest said, “Shoot here”, and kept on moving. The guard fired a second shot in the air. At this the police arrived at the spot and arrested him. When the police asked him as to where he was going, he replied, “Wherever I was going, you have disturbed the whole plan.” It is learnt that he was working in a security company for the preceding one month and had served in the army in the past. He had received his education in a madrassah. He gave his name, ‘Anayatullah S/O Karam Khan’ to the police. Rabwah; February 16, 2011: Rabwah has always been in the crosswire of the mullas. They are at liberty to provoke 95% of the town’s population. They regularly hold conferences in Rabwah, take out processions through the main markets and make hateful speeches using provocative language against the Ahmadiyya community. Mullas from outside Rabwah participate in these conferences and disturb the peace of the city. One such occasion is 12 Rabiul Awwal (the birthday of the Holy Prophetsa). Mullas now take out several processions in Rabwah every year on this day. Ahmadis request the authorities to stop them from such activities, but to no avail. This year again Ahmadiyya central office wrote to the authorities to prohibit such rallies, but they allowed the mullas to once again gather in Rabwah and threaten the peace of the town. A report of these processions is placed below. The first procession on February 16, 2011 started from Masjid Bukhari at 09:00. Approximately 300 men from the Muslim Colony and Chiniot participated in it. This procession used the main road of Rabwah and reached Aqsa Square. Qari Muhammad Yameen addressed the participants there. On their way back to the Bus Stop they halted in front of Aiwan-e-Mahmood and Mulla Ghulam Mustafa addressed the crowd. Thereafter it stopped in front of the Post Office and Mulla Masood Sarwari and Mulla Hafiz Umair addressed them. The second procession was led by the son of Maulvi Mushtaq of Khichian. They gathered at the Bus Stop and held a conference there which lasted three hours. Approximately 700 people participated in the conference. Afterwards at 13:00 they went to the Aqsa Square in the form of a procession and dispersed. This procession comprised seven tractor trolleys, one bus, four cars, forty motorcycles and five rickshaws. The third procession was led by Majlis Ahrar. A conference was held in the mosque of Majlis Ahrar in Kot Wasawa, in Rabwah at 10:00. This conference continued for five hours and approximately three thousand people participated in it. They took the form of a procession and reached in front of the Aiwan-e-Mahmood via Aqsa Square. There Mulla Mughaira, Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema and Ataul Muhaiman Bukhari spoke against the Ahmadiyya community. They used highly slanderous and provocative language against the Ahmadiyya leaders. They also criticized the government regarding Raymond Davis and Aasia Bibi. They demanded from the government more vigorous anti-Ahmadiyya measures. This procession ended at the Bus Stop at 17:30. It used the main roads of Rabwah and comprised 10 buses, 18 coasters, 30 cars, five tractor trolleys and 40 rickshaws. All markets in Rabwah remained closed due to these un-welcome guests, and all Ahmadis remained vigilant against any unforeseen development. Women were advised to stay at home. Men were directed to stay clear of the procession. This village is located in District Sahiwal, Punjab. We reported last month that the police nailed wooden planks on the face of the Kalima written in the mosque. The SHO had threatened that he would come again. Subsequently, at the behest of the mullas, the police told Ahmadis to demolish the niche of the mosque. Ahmadis refused to do that, and conveyed that the police may undertake that sort of desecration but not expect it from Ahmadis. The SHO threatened to book all the Ahmadis in a criminal case. At the time, he went back but threatened to come again. Apparently the police have no instructions from the provincial capital to ignore the unreasonable demands of clerics. Ghatialian, District Sialkot, Punjab: It was reported last month that on the orders of the police, the work on the reconstruction of the Ahmadiyya mosque in the village had come to a halt. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pasroor decided to visit the site. He arrived there in the company of the Chairman Aman (peace) Committee. The Ahmadiyya delegation showed them the building and told them that it was almost a hundred years old and had become dilapidated. It was no longer safe for use, and the worshippers had no choice but to pray outside in the courtyard, which was not recommended on account of the security situation in the country. Also, with the passage of time, the number of worshipers had increased. For these reasons, the mosque structure had to be extended, and pillars, etc had been built accordingly. The opposition party insisted on restricting the construction and wanted stricter conditions to be applied. These were unacceptable to Ahmadis. The issue had to be raised before the District Police Officer (DPO) who said that he would visit the site. He has not been able to come to the village, and the construction remains suspended. The freedom to worship has been compromised. Badin; February 2011: District Badin is one of the numerous hot spots for Ahmadis in Sindh. Mullas remain active and free here to keep the communal tension at a high level. Mr Rafiq Ahmad, a local Ahmadi has been the target of threats in the recent past. He is a farmer, and the sugarcane crop was nearly ripe in his farm. His inquisitors set fire to his crop. It was noticed when the flames went up, and a huge crowd assembled at the location. They were mostly non-Ahmadis, but were sympathetic, and helped in fighting the fire. It was finally brought under control. Mr Rafiq Ahmad was being harassed and threatened by one man in particular, Bashir Rind. Earlier, he had seized two truckloads of Mr. Ahmad’s cotton and demanded half a million rupees as ransom. The police arrested him, but he obtained release on bail. Subsequently he was shot dead by the police in an encounter on February 17, 2011. Ahmad Nagar, District Chiniot; January/February 2011: A month ago, two non-Ahmadis, a butcher and a cleric from this small town sent an application against a dozen Ahmadis to the DPO asking for police action. Ahmad Nagar is located on the outskirts of Rabwah. It has a sizeable Ahmadi community. However, after 1974 when the constitution was amended to impose Non-Muslim minority status on Ahmadis, the government of the Punjab proceeded to establish a ‘Muslim Colony’ in Rabwah. In this colony, mullas were helped by the authorities to build a seminary, a mosque and a ‘Muslim’ housing scheme on usurped land. Since then, the resident mullas of Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) have worked hard to spoil the social and communal peace in Ahmad Nagar. In this, they have succeeded. A local Ahmadiyya mosque was confiscated by the authorities last year and handed over to non-Ahmadis. Social and communal disputes now abound and mullas pursue them energetically with sympathetic authorities. The recent complaint is one in the series of such pursuits. The butcher and the cleric wrote to the DPO that 12 (named) Ahmadis preach their creed in the open; they get drunk and display firearms to provoke the Muslims, bully Muslim men and women, and thus pose a threat to law and order of the town, etc. The application is a fabrication drafted by some crafty mulla. The DPO, who reports to his superiors in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab, had to show due (in fact, undue) concern for a complaint received from the majority community, so he directed the SHO Chenab Nagar to “take action as per law and ensure both security and peace in the area.” Very appropriate. However, only a year ago, the DCO Chiniot took the credit of handing over an Ahmadiyya mosque to non-Ahmadis, that was built by Ahmadis, on Ahmadi-owned land and used by Ahmadis for over 20 years. That DCO justified his shameful action on baseless grounds of ‘pre-empting the extreme law and order situation.’ The following were named in the application: Arshad S/o Allah Rakha, Jahangir S/o Jalil Khan; Ashraf S/o Allah Rakha; Asif S/o Afzal Butt; Junaid S/o (M Anwar Butt); Adnan Butt S/o (Ahmad Tariq Butt); Fazil Butt S/o Aslam Butt; Nazir Ahmad (Jeela) tailor master; Sarmad Butt S/o Idrees Butt; Mian Khalid S/o Allah Yar; Saleem ricksheywala; Hamid S/o Karim; Safiulla S/o Samiullah, and a few unidentified persons. Ahmad Nagar; January/February 2011: Still another case from Ahmad Nagar that highlights the potential of mischief in this neighborhood on the outskirts of Rabwah. Subsequent to a fabricated complaint, the police registered a case of ‘theft’ against a respectable Ahmadi elder, Mr. Malik Muhammad Rafiq, aged 70, and proceeded to arrest him. Briefly, Mr Rafiq purchased a plot of land in Ahmad Nagar from the Canal Department in 2002 when this Department had no further need of their dilapidated office on that plot. Subsequently, Mr Rafiq demolished the office rooms and secured the plot with some construction and a four-wall. The plot is adjescant to Ahmadiyya main mosque in Ahmad Nagar. This makes it a crucial property for the party opposed to Ahmadis. And sure enough, Bashir Ahmad, a Patwari (revenue clerk) in league with an official of his department sent an application to the police to register a criminal case of theft of doors and windows against Mr. Rafiq, nine years after the sale of the property. The police, obligingly, registered the case and arrested the rightful owner. Mr Rafiq has contacted the senior officials of the concerned department and requested intervention. They have undertaken to investigate and follow-up. In the meantime the police have released Mr. Rafiq. One is perpetually at risk if one is an Ahmadi in Pakistan, particularly in the Punjab, these days. Faisalabad: We reported in the monthly report for November 2010 on the maltreatment of Miss Hina Akram of National Textile University, Faisalabad by her teachers, to the extent that she had to stop going to classes. Recalling the incident very briefly, the young lady was in very good books of her teacher, Mr Rao Rashid till he came to know that she was an Ahmadi. He urged her to convert, offered her board and lodging with a ‘Muslim’ girl, and advised her to mind her life in the Hereafter. Subsequent to her refusal, he warned her of dire consequences and proceeded to make her stay in the university most difficult. She approached the Vice Chancellor for redress but he did nothing except convey his difficulties. Three months later, we have received a follow-up report; it is given below. As Hina could no longer continue her studies in the Faisalabad University she attempted transfer to other locations. She went first to the UMT Lahore. There the teachers told her that they already knew about her problem in the NTU Faisalabad. “Go back to Faisalabad, recant and you will have no problem there,” they told her. Thereafter, she approached Hajveri University. They agreed to admit her and told her to revisit on December 1, 2010. However, on December 1, they came up with plain refusal. Then she tried Multan, but she came to know that all these people were linked to one another and provided mutual support and information. There is a fraternity of seniors and juniors who co-operate on this basis. Hina apparently has come to a dead end in her higher education. Rawalpindi: Mr. Rizwan Munir, an Ahmadi, is employed in the Holy Family Hospital, a public facility in Rawalpindi. He is incharge of the angiography section. His section was closed for two holidays. When he opened the section on 27 December he found it flooded. It seems that during the holidays the pipe broke down and water accumulated in the room. The departmental inquiry was influenced by his faith. The doctors and ward-boys made statements against him, and the case was referred to the Principle of Medical College Rawalpindi. It is learnt that the inquiry is being referred to the police or some agency. Mr. Rizwan has a history of religious prejudice against him. In 2001 he was implicated in a false case and was dismissed from his job. Later the Supreme Court reinstated him. After reinstatement, he was attacked twice. He had to take long leave and earn his living elsewhere. Two years later, he rejoined his governmental job, but is now facing difficulties again – primarily for his faith. Bahawalpur; January 24, 2011: It was reported last month that mullas were active in Chak No. 9/BC fomenting agitation against Ahmadis. They have undertaken a campaign against a private school run by an Ahmadi, Mr. Muzaffar Ahmad. The mullas had issued a poster calling for a rally against the ‘Qadiani’ Muzaffar Public School, Chak No. 9/BC Baghdad, Bahawalpur. This rally commenced successfully as scheduled. Several hundred attended the rally. The participants urged the authorities to take immediate action to close down the school and punish those responsible for alleged blasphemy. They gave an 8-day dead-line to the authorities and threatened them with consequences if their demands were not met. This rally was led by the local Amir of Khatme Nabuwwat Mulla Ishaq Saqi, Mulla Riaz Chughtai, Rao Javed Iqbal, Mufti Iftikhar etc. Students from various schools and colleges also participated in the rally. Protesters were holding anti-Ahmadiyya banners and placards in admiration of Mumtaz Qadri, Governor Taseer’s murderer. This story was published by the vernacular press, specially by the daily Khabrain, Multan; January 25, 2011. Tatle Aali, District Gujranwala: A few weeks ago, some opponents shot and injured Mr Rafi Ahmad Butt, the president of the local Ahmadiyya community. Thereafter, on January 18, 2011 two men shot dead a local mulla Qari Shakil-ur-Rahman who was an anti-Ahmadi agitator and activist. However, this caused great concern to the vulnerable Ahmadis of Tatle Aali, as on such occasions, the opposition generally accuse Ahmadis of the murder; this serves two purposes, 1. The culprits remain safe, and 2. Ahmadis face the music. A typical case is that of the three innocent Ahmadis from Chak Sikandar condemned in the murder case of a local political mulla who had no dearth of foes whom he had wronged. Fortunately, the murderers have been identified and arrested. Two young men who were otherwise companions of the slain cleric have admitted to the involvement in the incident, which they claim to have been accidental. Mr Butt has heaved a sigh of relief, but remains disturbed in this environment of blood-letting, intrigue and prejudice – where Ahmadis are invariably at the receiving end. Dhuddi Wala, District Faisalabad; February 2011: Mr. Naeem Ahmad Tahir works at a sanitary shop owned by a non-Ahmadi, Mirza Muhammad Saleem. Mullas of Khatme Nabuwwat faction visited his shop and gave him a slanderous anti-Ahmadiyya pamphlet to read. Mirza Muhammad Saleem, himself is also hostile to the Ahmadiyya community. He told Mr. Naeem, whose belief was not known to him, “I am against Shiites and even more against Qadianis, and would like to kill them all.” This faith based controversy lasted a month, and resulted in loss of job to Mr. Naeem. He also lost Rs. 4500 outstanding against the owner. Now he has to find some other job to earn his livelihood. Toba Tek Singh; February 2011: A threatening leaflet from the opponents of the community was received in the Ahmadiyya mosque in Toba Tek Singh. It conveyed:
In this hateful pamphlet people are urged to kill three Ahmadis, Mr. Anwar Butt, the president of the local Ahmadiyya community, Mr. Mansoor Ahmad, the Ahmadiyya missionary and Mr. Khalid Mahmood, a local Ahmadi office holder. Mr Usman Ahmad, a freelance columnist recently wrote an article on massacre of Ahmadis in Indonesia on February 6, 2011. In it he has drawn a parallel between that incident and the one in Lahore, Pakistan on May 28, 2010. The article raises the issue of inherent evil in human nature, and makes a clarion call for introspection. It is worth placing on record, and is accordingly reproduced here:
February 10, 2011: Afaq Ahmad Malik S/O Malik Rasheed Ahmad was going to school in his car along with his driver when he was kidnapped. The kidnappers went not very far when their car overturned. This provided an opportunity to the boy and his driver to flee. They ran away from the site and reached home safely. Malik Rasheed Ahmad is a well-known Ahmadi in the area.
The daughter-in-law of a former president of the local Ahmadiyya community was walking on the roadside when two men riding a motor cycle approached her, stopped by and said, “We have orders to shoot any Mirzai, anywhere”. “In that case, shoot, if you dare to,” replied the lady boldly. At this they fled away.
February 21, 2011: Mr. Maqsood Ahmad owns a hardware shop in Township. Some unknown persons tried to set his shop on fire with kerosene oil. A timely warning saved the situation. Miscreants also conveyed him written threats: “Qadiani Kafir are Wajib-ul-qatl (must be killed)”. Other threatening messages were also dropped at his shop. The police have been informed.
February 2011: Mr. Irshad Ahmad also owns a shop, Shaheen Electric in Township, Lahore. Unknown persons tried to set his shop on fire too, but the attempt failed. Miscreants threw threatening pamphlets in his shop with the inscription: “Qadianis: must be killed.” Mr. Irshad opened the shop in the morning and found the threatening messages and called the police. The police registered his complaint. Other Ahmadi homes also remain under surveillance by extremists in this area.
Mulla Allah Wasaya was the guest speaker in a conference here on February 17, 2011. He used foul language against the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, and declared that those who had social relations with Mirzais were not fit to be called Muslims. The day before he spoke in a similar conference in Madrassah Muhammadiyya and delivered the same message.
In his Friday sermon on February 18, 2011 the mulla of the Jame Masjid Usmania spoke on the subject of Raymond Davis and Qadianism. He asserted that Qadianis talk of peace but they are the terrorists. They are lackies of the U.S. and are funded by Americans. They are Wajib-ul-Qatl (must be killed). “If the government takes no action against them, we’ll dispatch them ourselves,” he said.
With reference to 12 Rabiul Awwal, the birthday of the Holy Prophet p.b.u.h., mullas addressed conferences and rallies in many locations e.g. Jame Masjid Tauhid Ganj Shah, Jame Masjid Hanifia Faruqia, Ganj Bazar Mughalpura etc. They availed of the occasion to speak against the Ahmadiyya community and declared them Wajib-ul-Qatl. They urged their audience to boycott Ahmadiyya products.
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