A 70-year-old worship place belonging to Pakistan’s minority Ahmadis has been demolished by the authorities in Punjab province, the community members said on Monday.Pakistan’s Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. A decade later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslims. They are banned from preaching and even from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
Ahmadi community spokesperson Saleemduddin said the worship place, which has been destroyed, was located in Bahawalpur district’s Hasilpur village, some 400 km from here.
“The assistant commissioner of Hasilpur along with Baldia workers attacked the 70-year-old Ahmadi place of worship in Murad district and destroyed parts of the building without notice,” Saleemduddin said in a tweet.”It is important to note that this place of worship is built on property owned by the community… It has remained the same over past many many decades,” he said.
The minority community lamented the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for arresting one of its members who filmed this demolition.
“Instead of initiating action against those involved in its demolition, police have arrested an Ahmadi who filmed this attack under baseless charges,” Saleemduddin said, asking “how on earth filming something on a public space falls under this law?”
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan often boasts about his government’s commitment regarding protecting the rights of minorities in the country.
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