The Ahmadiyya Community (the “Community”) living in Pakistan has always been subjected to severe persecution since the creation of Pakistan. In the wake of the Second Amendment in Pakistan’s Constitution in 1974 and Ordinance XX in 1984, paved way for a discriminatory treatment of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan based on their faith. The Community’s religious freedom and human rights are constantly violated.
The failure of the state institutions to take any action against miscreants creates an impression of an alleged collusion between the miscreants and the law enforcement officials.
As if the hate campaign against the peaceful members of the Community was not enough, opponents of the Community in collusion with police officials are desecrating the graves of members of the Community. These desecration is not new but this recent spike is very worrisome. Since the partition of 1947 the desecration of Ahmadiyya graves has been carried out. A spike in these incidents was seen after the promulgation of Ordinance of XX in 1984. To this day the incidents of desecration of Ahmadiyya graves is on the rise. It is worth noting here that most of these desecrations has taken place in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Reasons for such actions by the opponents of the Community is somewhat unknown but one can only imply based on the evidence provided. One of the most foremost reasons for such onslaught against the Community is based on the fact that members of the Community are barred from using Islamic epithets after Ordinance XX in 1984. However, most of the inscriptions were written before the promulgation of the Ordinance. The law do not have effect in retrospectivity thus safeguarding those who have died before its promulgation. But in reality these actions are carried out in order to humiliate members of the Community, while strengthening their hold on the government officials by showcasing their political strength. As such a lot of political mileage is gathered form such acts.
Other than desecration of Ahmadiyya graves, Ahmadis are faced with problems pertaining to burial, offering funeral prayers of their loved ones etc. This Report, however, will predominantly cover incidents of desecration carried out in the Year 2020 and 2021. Some incidents prior to the Year 2020 and 2021 are also highlighted in order to provide a historical perspective.
- RABWAH, 2010 & 2015:
DESECRATED GRAVES AT AHMADIYYA GRAVEYARD (BAHASHT-I-MAQBARA) AT RABWAH (CHENAB NAGAR) (YEAR 2014).
Rabwah (Chenab Nagar) is home to the largest population of Ahmadis all over the world and also serves as a headquarter to the Ahmadis in Pakistan. Considering the population of Rabwah, one might think that the Ahmadis living there would be save from such onslaught.
In 2010, on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal the procession was taken out by a religious cleric Allah Yar Arshad in Rabwah. There were 3500 – 4000 people in the procession. A group among them threw stones at the gate of the Ahmadiyya graveyard. Further, some clerics urinated at the graves fof Ahmadis in the public cemetery.
JANUARY 12, 2015:
Incidents of stoning the gravestones in Rabwah by opponents of the Ahmadiyya community happen quite often. The boys from cleric Allah Yar Arshad’s madrassa indulge in this desecration. On 12 January 2015, these students damaged certain gravestones by pelting stones on them. The damaged gravestones were shown to the police who were asked to investigate this matter.
The obsessions of these religious clerics can be ascertained by the fact that Ameer Hamza, a ferocious religious cleric said, “One of the reasons why they (Jihadists) wanted to wage Jihad against India was to demolish the graves of Ahmadi leaders in Qadian,” reported The Express Tribune.
- DUNYAPUR, DISTRICT LODHRAN DATED DECEMBER 4, 2011
Some miscreants entered the Ahmadiyya graveyard and damaged the graves and broke the gravestone on seven graves. This graveyard came into being in 1976. It has 29 graves of Ahmadis. This sacrilege was also reported to the police who recovered the broken pieces of the gravestones.
The Ahmadiyya Spokesperson expressed great concern over the incident and stated that even Ahmadi dead are not being spared maltreatment and insult. Ahmadis of Dunyapur are facing opposition from mullas who keep on harassing them in various ways. The said incident was also reported at The Express Tribune of December 5, 2011 edition under the heading: “FOR MINORITIES IN PAKISTAN, PERSECUTION NEVER ENDS”.
- CHAK 165 E.B. SHAHZAD ABAD, DISTRICT PAKPATTAN DATED JULY 10, 2012
A group of miscreants desecrated gravestones of all the five Ahmadiyya graves in a private graveyard in this village and wrote anti-Ahmadiyya graffiti on them. In the vicinity of these graves there is tomb of a saint, Syed Ashraf Ali Shah who died 300 years ago. The miscreants attacked his grave first by setting it on fire before attacking the Ahmadiyya graves. An FIR of the said incident was registered before the concerned police station.
- JARANWALA, DISTRICT FAISALABAD DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
Opponents of the Community filed a complaint before the local police to remove Islamic inscriptions from the gravestones of Ahmadis at their Cemetery.
The police came to the site on September 4, 2012 well after darkness had set in. They demolished the 23 gravestones and took away the pieces. Mr. Sajid Farooqi, Chairman of Jaranwala Peace Committee and Khadim Nadeem Qadri a Khatme Nabuwwat leader actively backed this profane undertaking. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves of Jaranwala, District Faisalabad dated September 4, 2012 is attached as Annexure A respectively].
- MODEL TOWN, LAHORE DATED DECEMBER 02, 2012
On December 02, 2012, approximately 120 tombstones were vandalized by 10 to 15 armed men wearing masks at the Ahmadiyya graveyard located at Model Town, Lahore.
The vandals tied up the grave-digger, his family and the lone security guard. The culprits roughed them up and moved fast to defile the headstones with the heavy tools they brought along. The guard had succeeded in telephoning the police before his capture. The whole vandalism episode lasted for about 35 minutes. The vandals ran away on arrival of the police. No arrests were made.
The policemen casually took brief statements from the roughed up staff and went back to rest. The next day when contacted by a press reporter, the SHO of Liaquatabad Police Station reportedly said he was not aware of any such incident.
Earlier, activists of Khatme Nabuwwat Lawyers Forum had approached Liaquatabad Police Station seeking removal of Islamic inscriptions from tombstones at this graveyard. The case was under police and judicial process. This Model Town incident is unique as it was the first time that an entire Ahmadiyya graveyard was desecrated. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves of Model Town, Lahore dated December 02, 2012 is attached as Annexure B respectively]
- CHAK 96 GB, TEHSIL JARANWALA, DISTRICT FAISALABAD DATED MARCH 09, 2014
On 09.03.2014 the Punjab Police desecrated gravestones of Ahmadis at Chak 96 GB, Tehsil Jaranwala, District Faisalabad. The said incident was is in violation of human rights and human dignity.
According to the details, an opponent of the Community complained to the police that certain sacred writings on the gravestones of Ahmadis at the cemetery has hurt his feelings. The local police called on to the Ahmadis and asked them to remove the sacred text i.e the Kalima. The Ahmadis made it clear that they would not erase the Kalima nor would they allow anyone do that. Thereafter, some policemen came to the cemetery and destroyed the Kalima written on tiles of seven gravestones. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves of Chak 96 GB, Tehsil Jaranwala, District Faisalabad is attached as Annexure C respectively].
FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE INCIDENTS RECORDED IN THE RECENT PAST WHICH ARE EVIDENT OF THE ONGOING DESECRATION OF GRAVES OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY:
- FATAH DARYA, JHANG. FEBRUARY, 2020
Two graves of Ahmadis were exhumed in Fatah Darya, Jhang. Graves of the said Ahmadis were located in a communal cemetery. The culprits behind this atrocity are still at large. The said incident took place within the jurisdiction of Police Station: Jhang City.
- CHAK 2/TDA, DISTRICT KHUSHAB: MIDNIGHT OF 27TH AND 28TH FEBRUARY, 2020
In another incident, in the midnight of 27th and 28th February, 2020 the police officials desecrated the graves of three Ahmadis at Chak 2/TDA, District Khushab. The said incident took place within the jurisdiction of Police Station: Mitha Tawana.
- SHOKATABAD COLONY, DISTRICT NANKANA SAHIB: 26.05.2020
On 26.05.2020 some 50 clerics and police officials desecrated the grave of an Ahmadi buried in Shokatabad Colony, District Nankana Sahib. The said incident took place within the jurisdiction of Police Station Mangtan Wala.
- CHAK NO: 79 NAWAN KOT, DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA DATED JUNE 30, 2020
On 30.06.2020 at Chak No: 79 Nawan Kot, District Sheikhupura a hate campaign was launched by religious extremists against Ahmadiyya graveyard. Acting on this hate campaign, police officials desecrated dozens of gravestones of members of the Community. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves is attached as Annexure D respectively].
In this village Ahmadiyya graveyard is located next to the graveyard of Non-members of the Community with only a paved drain separating them. Ahmadis decided to prepare a small piece of state land as Janazagha (an open area where brief funeral prayer is held prior to burial). Some bricks and other construction material was provided at the site for this purpose. A few extremist elements made it a big issue and incited the public over this in their mosques. Furthermore, they wrote an application to police authorities. The plea taken in the Application was that by providing themselves a Janazagah on the State land, the Ahmadis had hurt the sentiments of the Muslim population and as such the peace of the village was at risk if no action is taken against Ahmadis.
The SHO sent for the parties on June 27, 2020. Approximately 60 clerics thronged the meeting. A small Ahmadi delegation also joined. The Ahmadiyya delegation greeted those present with a ‘Salaam’. The clerics chose to take offense to this greeting of ‘Peace’. Thus shouted with objection and displayed anger and hostility. They demanded that the police book Ahmadis under the blasphemy law PPC 295-C (for which the penalty is death). The SHO, however, told everyone to get on with the agenda.
The clerics, during the meeting, stated that the preparation of a funeral home and the Islamic inscriptions on Ahmadiyya tombstones has hurt their sentiments. Hence these should be removed. In the event of failure to remove these, the clerics threatened the police with consequences. At this the SHO got an undertaking in writing from the Ahmadis on a stamp-paper that they will not make a funeral home.
In the meantime, some clerics went around the village seeking an undertaking from the villagers that they will not let Ahmadis bury their dead in the graveyard. Some people signed the undertaking, while others did not. The opposition has five mosques in the village which indulged in hate speech and incited people to undertake a boycott against Ahmadis.
Later, on June 30, the clerics again went to the police station where they shouted anti-Ahmadi slogans. Eventually, the clerics with the police jointly proceeded to desecrate and damage Ahmadis’ tombstones with hammers and chisels while obliterating sacred inscriptions from dozens of Ahmadis’ gravestones. This went on in darkness till 11 p.m.
The BBC News (Urdu) contacted the SHO, Mr. Sadaqat Randhawa to seek his comment on this incident. He denied any such incident of desecration of graves. When told that the photos of damaged tombstones are available on Twitter, he said that he was not aware of the source of those photos; however, he stated that he had visited the site and found no trace of such an incident.
- TARIGRI, DISTRICT GUJRANWALA DATED 13.07.2020
Acting on a complaint, on 13.07.2020 the police officials of Police Station Gujranwala Cantt destroyed 67 tombstones belonging to Ahmadis at village Tarigri, District Gujranwala. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves of Tarigri, District Gujranwala dated 13.07.2020 is attached as Annexure E respectively].
- 161 MURAD, DISTRICT BAHAWALPUR, SEPTEMBER 2020
Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis had a joint graveyard at 161 Murad, District Bahawalpur till 2007. In response to hostilities by certain religious extremists, Ahmadis provided themselves a separate graveyard on a land donated by a local Ahmadi namely, Mr. Maqbool Ahmad. Opponents filed a complaint with authorities that Ahmadis had written Quranic verses on the gravestones, which hurts the sentiments of Muslims; these should be removed. In response, SHO PS Saddar, Hasilpur and the local police inspector visited the spot. They talked to non-Ahmadis of the area but did not talk to the Ahmadis. After this incident, Ahmadis of the area feel vulnerable because the defiling of Ahmadis’ graves is a common occurrence these days.
- DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA DATED SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
Mr. Siddique, an Ahmadi, was suffering from Cancer. During his illness he made out a will that if his body could not be buried in the village graveyard, he should be buried in his own farm land.
Mr. Siddique died on 18th September 2020. Thereafter a grave was dug in the village graveyard to bury him but the opponents opposed his burial. The police tried to facilitate his burial, but to no avail. In view of the circumstances, he was then buried at his own farm land.
- SHAH MASKEEN, DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA DATED DECEMBER 28, 2020
On 28.12.2020, three clerics and three police officials visited the Ahmadiyya place of worship at Shah Maskeen, District Sheikhupura and took pictures of the graves of members of the Community. Thereafter, on 30.12.2020 the local head of the Community was asked to visit Police Station Faizabad.
An agreement between the complainants, police officials and the respondents was reached on an understanding that no violation of law will take place. However, it is important to mention here that later on, the police officials visited the Ahmadiyya place of worship and destroyed some of the minarets and gravestones of almost 40 Ahmadis.
- DHERAKNA, DISTRICT CHAKWAL: DECEMBER, 2020
In December, 2020 an incident of desecration of three graves of members of the Community was recorded in Dherakna, District Chakwal. The culprits behind this atrocity are still at large. The said incident took place within the jurisdiction of Police Station: Kallar Kahar.
- DHERO, DISTRICT TOBA TEK SINGH DATED JANUARY 26, 2021
Recently, in Dhero, District Toba Tek Singh a propaganda was launched by certain miscreants regarding graves of members of the Community. Thereafter on the complaint of the miscreants, the police officials cemented the Islamic epithets written on the gravestones of members of the Community. The said incident took place within the jurisdiction of Police Station Gojra Saddar, Toba Tek Singh.
On 26.01.2021 the Tehsildar, Patwari and the SHO of the village visited the Ahmadiyya graveyard and destroyed the cemented gravestones.
- BHOYWAAL, DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA DATED JANUARY 08, 2021
On 08.01.2021 tombstones of 3 Ahmadis were desecrated in Bhoywaal, District Sheikhapura. The said graveyard is within the jurisdiction of Police Station Sharaqpur, District Sheikhupura. A complaint regarding the desecration of graves was filed before the authorities by the members of the Community. Instead of acting on the Community’s complaint, a FIR was registered on 11.01.2021 on the complaint of Asadullah s/o Manzoor Ahmad resident of Hakeem Garhi Sharaqpur against a number of Ahmadis under section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 at Police Station Sharaqpur Sharif, District Sheikhupura on account of using Islamic epithets on the tombstones of graves of the members of the Community.
- 565 GB JARANWALA, DISTRICT FAISALABAD: 03.02.2021
On 03.02.2021, at 565 GB Jaranwala, District Faisalabad the police officials desecrated 25 graves of members of the Community. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves of 565 GB Jaranwala, District Faisalabad dated 03.02.2021 is attached as Annexure F respectively].
- KANA KONTA, TOBA TEK SINGH
A complaint was filed before the DSP at Police Station Gojra Saddar, Toba Tek Singh regarding the use of Islamic epithets in a graveyard belonging to the Community in Kana Konta, Toba Tek Singh. The complaint is still pending before the said police station
- KOT DIALDAS, DISTRICT NANKANA DATED MARCH 11, 2021
On 11.03.2021, police officials acting on a complaint desecrated 16 Ahmadis graves. [Excerpts of images of desecrated graves at Kot Dialdas, District Nankana dated 11.03.2021 is attached as Annexure Grespectively].
- CHAK 604, DISTRICT MUZAFFARGARH: 11.04.2021
On 11.04.2021 at Chak 604, District Muzaffargarh the opponents of the Community along with police officials removed Islamic scriptures from an Ahmadi gravestones.
- TALWANDI MUSA, DISTRICT GUJRANWALA (September 09, 2021)
On September 09, 2021 police officials have yet again desecrated an Ahmadiyya place of worship and 40 Ahmadiyya graves in Talwandi Musa, District Gujranwala.
Acting on a complaint submitted by certain opponents of the Ahmadiyya Community (the “Community”) the police officials removed prayer for entering a place of worship from the entrance door of the said Ahmadiyya place of worship in Talwandi Musa, District Gujranwala. Afterwards they removed the sacred scriptures from 40 Ahmadiyya graves and after which the police officials took away the debris. It is worth noting here, as per the reports, that the police officials threatened Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad, an Ahmadi, who was present there when the police arrived to carry this task and upon refusal he was threatened with registration of a frivolous police case against him. The said actions were carried out within the jurisdiction of Police Station Saddar Gujranwala.
- MUBARAK PURA, NARANG MANDI IN DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA
In Mubarak Pura, Narang Mandi a place in District Sheikhupura the Ahmadiyya Community has been facing antagonism for the past two years. For this reason, all Ahmadi residents have migrated from there. As the entire population of Ahmadis migrated, 5 Ahmadiyya graves were the only remaining reminiscent of the Community.
An Ahmadi Mr. Naseer Ahmad went to visit those graves along with his family on Wednesday 15th of September 2021. There he saw that the graves of these Ahmadis namely Sharifan Bibi w/o Shkrdin, Mohammed Ibrahim s/o Shkrdin, Qayoum Akhtar w/o Mohammed Ibrahim, Haq Nawaz Tahir s/o Mohammed Ibrahim and Maryam Sadiqa d/o Mohammed Ibrahim were damaged and the said graves were flattened. The gravestones of these graves were also broken. Members of the Community have reached out to the police about the said matter.
CONCLUSION:
Time and again, Ahmadiyya graves are desecrated with or without the assistance of police officials with complete impunity to the culprits. The Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan in Suo Motto No.1 of 2014 gave a detail verdict on protecting rights of the minorities. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, inter alia, refers to preservation of places of worship. As such it was clearly laid down that a ‘Special Police Force’ be established with professional training to protect the places of worship of minorities. Further stating that “…in all cases of violation of any of the rights guaranteed under the law or desecration of the places of worship of minorities, the concerned Law Enforcing Agencies should promptly take action including the registration of criminal cases against the delinquents.” Furthermore, this onslaught also contravenes International Covenants, such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Pakistan is a signatory to.
This continued victimization and harassment is curtailing the religious freedom of the Community. It is disheartening to observe such disregard of the fundamental rights of Ahmadis in Pakistan. A table consisting of updated statistics of Human Rights violations of Ahmadis in Pakistan is attached as Annexure H and Irespectively.
FOLLOWING IS A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OUTLINING THE NUMBER OF DESECRATION OF AHMADIYYA GRAVES WHICH TOOK PLACE AT VARIOUS INCIDENTS SINCE 1984:
ANNEXURE A
EXCERPTS OF IMAGES OF DESECRATED GRAVES AT JARANWALA, DISTRICT FAISALABAD DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
ANNEXURE B
MODEL TOWN, LAHORE: DECEMBER 02, 2012
ANNEXURE C
CHAK 96 GB, FAISALABAD: MARCH 9, 2014
ANNEXURE D
CHAK NO: 79 NAWAN KOT, DISTRICT SHEIKHUPURA: 30.06.2020
ANNEXURE E
TARIGRI, DISTRICT GUJRANWALA: 13.07.2020
ANNEXURE F
IMAGES OF DESECRATED GRAVES AT 565GB JARANWALA, DISTRICT FAISALABAD: 03.02.2021
ANNEXURE G
IMAGES OF DESECRATED GRAVES AT KOT DIALDAS, DISTRICT NANKANA DATED 11.03.2021
ANNEXURE H
Updated Statistics of Human Rights violations
Statistics of Police Cases
Registered against Ahmadis on religious grounds in Pakistan
(From 1984 to March 20, 2021)
| No: | Description of cases | Total Cases |
| 1 | Number of Ahmadis booked for displaying Kalima, i.e. “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” | 765 |
| 2 | Number of Ahmadis booked for calling Azan, call to prayers | 38 |
| 3 | Number of Ahmadis booked for ‘posing’ as Muslims | 447 |
| 4 | Number of Ahmadis booked for using Islamic epithets | 161 |
| 5 | Number of Ahmadis booked for offering prayers | 93 |
| 6 | Number of Ahmadis booked for preaching | 828 |
| 7 | Number of Ahmadis booked for celebrating Ahmadiyya Centenary in 1989 | 27 |
| 8 | Number of Ahmadis booked for celebrating 100 years’ anniversary of the eclipses of sun & moon that occurred in 1894 as a sign for the Promised Mahdi, i.e. Founder of the Ahmadiyya Community | 50 |
| 9 | Number of Ahmadis booked for distributing a pamphlet ‘EkHarf-e-Nasihana’ i.e. ‘A Word of Advice’ commenting upon anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX | 27 |
| 10 | Number of Ahmadis booked for distributing “Mubahala” pamphlet, i.e. A challenge to the opponents for prayer duel | 148 |
| 11 | Number of Ahmadis booked for allegedly defiling the Holy Quran | 68 |
| 12 | Number of Ahmadis charged under the “Blasphemy Law”, i.e. PPC 295-C | 321 |
| 13 | Number of named Ahmadis booked in other cases on religious grounds | 1222 |
| 14 | Former Supreme Head of the Community while living in London was charged in his absence in sixteen cases. | 16 |
| 15 | Present Supreme Head of the Community while living in London | 2 |
| 16 | The entire population of Rabwah i.e. Ahmadiyya headquarters in Pakistan was charged under section PPC 298-C on 15-12-1989, and again on June 8, 2008. (Population of Rabwah is approximately sixty thousand.) | |
| 17 | A case against the entire Ahmadi population of Ahmadis in Kotli, was registered for taking up repairs and improvement in their Place of worship in 2008 | |
| TOTAL |
ANNEXURE I
Statistics of other Human Rights violations
((From 1984 to March 20, 2021, except where mentioned otherwise)
| 1 | Number of Ahmadis killed | 274 |
| 2 | Number of Ahmadis target-killed this year | 1 |
| 3 | Ahmaids assaulted for their faith | 401 |
| 4 | Number of Ahmadiyya Place of Worship demolished | 30 |
| 5 | Number of Ahmadiyya Place of Worship sealed by the authorities | 43 |
| 6 | Number of Ahmadiyya Place of Worship set on fire or damaged | 25 |
| 7 | Number of Ahmadiyya Place of Worship forcibly occupied | 18 |
| 8 | Number of Ahmadiyya place of worship , construction of which was barred by the authorities | 59 |
| 9 | Ahmadis’ bodies exhumed after burial | 42 |
| 10 | Burial of Ahmadis was denied in common cemetery | 79 |
| 11 | Number of incidents of Kalima removal from Ahmadis’ houses and shops | 51 |
| 12 | Number of incidents of Kalima removal from Ahmadis’ Place of worships | 103 |