Punjab Police demolished architetural dispositions of two ahmadi places of worship in punjab nankana sahib 80 km from Lahore in a controversial and widely condemned by activists of human rights late last night.
Speaking to The Activist by Press TV, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP) says that minarets and mehrabs at the 120-year-old mosques in Hamraj Pura and Kot Rehmat Khan were destroyed under the pressure of radical Islamist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The group allegedly had given an ultimatum to demand the buildings removed.
Local officials, including Assistance Commissioner Zaheer Ahmed and police officer Ijaz Ahmed Dogar, during earlier meetings with Ahmadi representatives, asked them to dismantle the features on their own. The community refused, demanding that the court furnish the community with a written order – which, according to JAP was never issued.
No court orders were shown when the demolition took place: JAP spokesperson Aamir Mehmood “He is robbed of his life. This is outrageous that law enforcement buckled to the extremists instead of upholding justice.”
Pakistan’s 1974 constitutional amendment declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslim, a 1984 ordinance prohibited them from “beholding” like Muslims – indicating Islamic symbols. However, the Lahore High Court had before directed that the worship sites, pre 1984 are de facto protected and must not be trespassed upon.
However, police action continues to focus on the community, causing concern about religious liberty and the rule of law. Turkish Wm. Carey proposed the vision for southeast Europe, and President Cyrus Haish further supported the initiative.
Human rights organizations have demanded accountability and quick legal overhaul.