Extremist Attack on Ahmadi Community Burials in Punjab

Religious Extremist Attack on Ahmadi Community Over Burial Issue in Punjab

Lahore, Sep 25 (PTI) – Members of a radical Islamist party led a violent attack on the homes and businesses of Ahmadi community members in Piru Chak, Sialkot District, approximately 130 km from Lahore, following the attempted burial of an Ahmadi woman, according to a community organization. The group, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP), reported that religious extremists disrupted the burial of 55-year-old Qudsia Tabassum, who died earlier this week.

The extremists insisted that Ahmadis could no longer use the local graveyard for burials, despite the land being allotted to them after the 1947 Partition, according to JAP. They noted that the graveyard hosts 220 Ahmadi graves and around 100 individuals from other sects, whom the Ahmadi community allowed burial rights when their communities denied them.

When Ahmadis insisted on burying Tabassum in the cemetery, a large crowd organized by the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan attacked Ahmadi residences and shops, resulting in injuries among the Ahmadis. Meanwhile, police officer Muhammad Adnan Bhatti stated that the clash involved both Ahmadis and local Muslims, leading to a case against 30 Ahmadis under sections 506, 148, and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

However, JAP claims their application regarding the violence is being ignored by police authorities. Due to the pressure from extremists, Tabassum was ultimately buried 14 kilometers away from the contested graveyard.

Although Ahmadis identify as Muslims, a 1974 amendment to Pakistan's Constitution declared them non-Muslims. In the following decade, Ahmadis were banned from identifying publicly or practicing Islamic rituals, including constructing mosques with Islamic architecture or displaying Quranic verses.