Pirkot, District Hafizabad; August 2021: For some time now, opponents of Ahmadis are engaged in extensive anti-Ahmadi activities through the police in districts of Hafizabad, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad of the Punjab over the non-issue of minarets and niches in Ahmadiyya mosques.
On 24 August, an official from the office of the District Police Officer (DPO) visited the local Ahmadiyya mosque in Pirkot, took photos, and told the Ahmadis that they cannot write the Kalima in the mosque. The local community president told him that this inscription was written a long time ago.
The DSP summoned the localAhmadiyya representatives on August 26 and told them to remove the Kalima from their mosque. Ahmadis told him that there was no such issue in the village, and asked for two days’ time to suggest a way out.
There is no follow-up yet, but it is to be seen if the Hafizabad Police can act fairly and uphold the freedom of religion of the threatened community.
