It is with great sadness and regret that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat hereby confirms that a well-known and loved Ahmadi Muslim, Pir Habib al-Rehman (60) was martyred earlier today near Sanghar in Sindh Province.
According to details currently available Pir Habib-al-Rehman was on his way to his farm when two masked assailants approached his vehicle and shot him twice. One of the shots fired was directly at his head. He was rushed to hospital by his nephew and three labourers who were with him at the time, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The perpetrators of the crime immediately fled the scene and remain unidentified.
Pir Habib al-Rehman was a US citizen and had been in Pakistan on personal business. Thus he is the second US citizen in two years to be martyred for being an Ahmadi. In September 2008 Dr Abdul Mannan Siddiqi, also a US citizen, was brutally killed in Mirpurkhas.
Pir Habib al-Rehman was a kind and humble man who harbored no enmity against anyone. He was 60 at the time of his death and is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. In 2006 his brother, Dr Pir Mujeeb al –Rehman, was also martyred for being an Ahmadi Muslim.
The deceased was actively involved with the work of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat and performed great service, in particular, to the development and maintenance of the Jamaat’s official website ‘Alislam.org’.
The Press Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Abid Khan said:
“The murder of Pir Habib al-Rehman has caused great sadness to all Ahmadis around the world. This incident follows on from the martyrdom of Dr Najam alHasan also in Sindh just a couple of days ago. Such violence results from the continuing hatred that is spread throughout Pakistan against our Community. We call upon the international community and media to take notice of the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Pakistan.”
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V (atba) mentioned in his Friday sermon on 20th August 2010,
“He hailed from district Gujrat. His grandfather’s brother was the first in the family to accept Ahmadiyyat. In 1912 his ancestors purchased land in Sindh. He was educated in Rabwah and studied with Hudhur. He was a cheerful person who arranged good gatherings of pious nature. Yesterday morning unknown masked men on motorcycle approached his car as he left home in Sindh and shot him. He passed away on the spot. He had moved to the US in 1990 and made distinctive contributions to alislam.org. He was among its pioneering workers who helped in finding talent for the website. In 2006 his brother was martyred and he moved back to Pakistan to serve his elderly father. Later, as he was a widower himself, he was advised to marry the widow of his brother. He was a sincere person, who was regular in Salat and payment of chandas and had great connection with Khilafat and shared the pain of the underprivileged. He is survived by his 91 year old father and his children are aged 32, 28 and 23 who all live in US. His second wife’s children are aged 13, 11 and 7.”
