PR of IHRC; September 23, 2023: International Human Rights Committee issued the following press release on September 23, 2023:
IHRC/IR/230923/6
23 Sep 2023
INCIDENT REPORT
GRAVESTONES OF SIR ZAFRULLAH KHAN’S FAMILY SMASHED BY PAKISTANI POLICE IN DASKA KALAN, SIALKOT
IHRC has reported several times that a wave of bigotry against Ahmadiyya Muslims has intensified since the start of 2023.
In a deeply disturbing incident carried out on the night of 22nd September 2023, Pakistan police conspired with radical clerics to destroy 74 gravestones in Daska Kalan, Sialkot.
The tombstones included relatives of Pakistan’s first foreign minister Sir Zafruallah Khan who served as the president of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the 1960s and 70s. In this way, Pakistani authorities not only disregard their own history but disrespect the living and the dead. Indeed, Ahmadi Muslims and their families are not safe even in death.
The area’s Assistant Commissioner and his staff led the desecration of the Ahmadiyya graveyard alongside police forces who, acting illegally, cordoned off the nearby streets and taking advantage of the darkness carried out this despicable act.
They made sure that no Ahmadi was near the graveyard while this act was being carried out. After committing the desecration, the authorities took away the debris. The aftermath can be seen in this online video.
Unfortunately, the persecution against Ahmadis has ramped up as of late, as the IHRC has reported almost daily incidents against the minority group. Graveyard vandalism has been a favoured tactic of the Anti-Ahmadi elements in Pakistan for years. This shameful tactic means Ahmadis are not free from persecution even after their death.
Intolerance and hatred towards Ahmadis in Pakistan is nothing new, rather it has a history spread over decades which is gaining momentum day by day under State supervision. Systematic marginalisation of Ahmadis in all walks of life because of their religious beliefs is not considered condemnable and Ahmadis are being treated as such a class which has no basic human rights.
This must be stopped at all costs and the perpetrators brought to justice immediately. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution as the government and authorities encourage this behavior. They must be discouraged from using cheap tactics to achieve political gain.
IHRC has continuously raised our voice since many months over attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslims places of worship and graves. Attacks on their members have intensified. Most have come to light through social media and International NGOs.
We once again strongly urge the international community to impress upon the Government of Pakistan the need to discharge any absurd cases against Ahmadis and release all held in custody and thus honor its responsibility to provide effective protection and freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis, and ensure that perpetrators of such vicious actions should be brought to justice, to bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by Article 20 and United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 2, 18, and 20, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 25, 26.
END
The daily Friday Times reported another related incident on https://thefridaytimes.com/22-Sep-2023/tlp-activists-demand-demolition-of-place-of-worship-built-by-pakistan-s-first-foreign-minister:
TLP Activists Demand Demolition of Place of Worship Built by Pakistan’s First Foreign Minister
September 22, 2023
Scores of people turned up for a large rally in Daska, Sialkot, on Friday, which had been staged by the politico-religious party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) against places of worship of the Ahmadiyya Community.
The place of worship in question was built by Pakistan’s first foreign minister and an integral member of the Pakistan Movement, Sir Zafarullah Khan, prior to Partition.
The rally was staged after TLP made a public announcement in this regard on Thursday, posting banners across the city.
Videos posted on social media showed a large rally walking through the city while blaring slogans and naat from their loudspeakers.
While it was unclear whether they had attacked the place of worship, there were reports that an Ahmadi graveyard had been vandalised.
Saleemud Din, a spokesperson for the Jamat Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP) in a message said that the district administration and police cordoned off the graveyard and proceeded to demolish the 74 tombstones before loading the debris and broken epitaphs and fleeing.
Earlier, the TLP filed a complaint with the Daska police, demanding action against the administration of the place of worship. The police, however, suggested the party take up the matter with the district administration and the relevant assistant commissioner as the issue fell under their purview.
The TLP, however, directed its followers to take the law into their hands and “decide the issue”.
The minarets atop the building in question are barely visible, while there is no signage that identifies it as a mosque or a worship place. It is located adjacent to Sir Zafarullah Khan’s ancestral residence in Daska.
Sialkot District Police Officer Hassan Iqbal told Dawn that they had increased security around the building and were embroiled in negotiations for a peaceful outcome.
Can’t demolish pre-1984 places of worship
A verdict issued by the Lahore High Court early this month stated that the link between minarets as an identifying feature for Mosques and Islam is not clear. Further, it said that those structures which were built prior to the introduction of the law in 1984 cannot be subject to the law.
The law has been cited by the Ahmadiyya Community several times since as police continued to demolish minarets and other identifying marks outside and inside Ahmadi places of worship. However, it has had little impact on extremists and members of TLP, who continue to target Ahmadi places of worship in a worrying wave of violence.
