Eye on Terrorism: Threats made on Facebook - Asma Jahangir, Ahmadis are ‘targets after Taseer’

Late Governor Salman Taseer was the only state official who publically visited Ahmadiyya Muslim community to offer condolences when two of their mosques were attacked in Lahore and 86 Ahmadis were murdered in cold blood by Punjabi Taliban.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Times
By Staff | January 8, 2010

A bearded man with an uncanny resemblance to Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of the slain Governer, Salman Tasir, stopped by an Ahmadi Facebook account holder's pictures page and dropped off a few death threats.

Shaikh Adnan Saeed first targeted and harassed the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in general and afterward made a specific death threat against Asma Jahangir, a well-known human rights activist and current president of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association.

What triggered for Mr. Saeed to visit a specific page on Facebook and issue the threats is still unknown and comments by anyone preceding Mr. Saeed’s remarks do not offer any clue.

The Facebook posts of Mr. Saeed carried a wide-ranging warning to the members of the Ahmadi community.


“Oh Qadianis! [We] wouldn’t rest until you all have met worse than a dog’s end,” Mr. Saeed first wrote to harass the Ahmadi members.

Having failed in enticing a meaningful response to the provocative statement, Mr Saeed came back to issue a specific threat to Asma Jahangir by insinuating a link to Ahmadis.

“…Oh followers of one-eyed Mirza, haven’t you learned your lesson yet,” Saeed wrote. “[Even though] your daddy, Salmaan [Taseer], the pig, has been murdered.”

“…So far as Asma Jahangir is concerned, she is about to be sent to her friend [Salmaan Taseer],” the threat concluded.

Mr. Saeed appears to be a resident of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, have some education and is employed.

In his public profile Shaikh Adnan Saeed claims to have attended Zeeshan Public School as well as Asger Mall Collage Rawalpindi. The profile further reports attending University of Engineering and Technology in Texila, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Although, there is no mention of a degree completions, the public profile mentions Warrick Pharmaceutical,  Global Pharmaceutical and Orient Group of Companies as Mr. Saeed’s employer(s).

Apparent from his Facebook post entry, Mr. Saeed wasn't sympathetic to Governor Taseer's death, calling him a Khinzeer [pig].

Due to his progressive-liberal stands Governer Taseer had earned a reputation. He was one of the handful public figures in Pakistan who openly stood with victims, such as Christian Aasia,  suffering at the hand of Islamist extremism prevalent in the region. 

Late Governor Salman Taseer was the only state official who publically visited Ahmadiyya Muslim community to offer condolences when two of their mosques were attacked in Lahore and 86 Ahmadis were murdered in cold blood by Punjabi Taliban.

Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of the Punjab’s slain governer has been awarded a ‘folk hero’ status in many sections of the Pakistani society and in social media.

When Qadri was brought to the courthouse to be presented before a judge for the preliminary legal formalities, an enormous crowed of well-educated lawyers and judges was present to welcome Qadri.

Qadri was showered with flowers, hugs, kisses and free legal representation by the hundreds of lawyers present on the scene.

According to some reports over 1500 lawyers’ names appeared on Qadri’s ‘Wakalat Nama’ or Legal Representation Declaration.

Immediately in the aftermath of the governor’s killing several pages praising Qadri sprung up on social media sites such as Facebook.

A concerted effort was rolled out by many liberal bloggers and activists to shut down the pages.

According to Beena Sarwar, a progressive activist and avid tweeter, the pressure worked and many pages were taken down.

However, according to Jahane Rumi, a blog that reported on Beena Sarwar’s efforts, Sarwar ‘acknowledged that the space for people to debate about sensitive issues like the blasphemy laws was shrinking.’

A Youtube video surfaced on January 7 with unashamed statements from a mosque mullah, Mufti Hanif Qureshi claiming credit for having preached to Malik Qadri.

“He [Malik Qadri] offered prayers behind me and It was in light my discourses and addresses that Qadri took action,” Mufti Qureshi claimed.

“Qadri! Now you have countless loyal followers,”  Mufti Qureshi raised the slogans and the crowd cheered chanting ‘countless, countless.”



 -- By Imran Jattala for Ahmadiyya Times

 -- Blatant threats issued on Facebook: Asma Jahangir, Ahmadis are ‘targets after Taseer’