Pakistan: Thousands rally against Ahmadis alleging ‘illegal’ acts of worship

The intersection that was earlier known as Holy Family Chowk has now been renamed as Khatm-e-Nabowat Chowk.

File photo: Anti-Ahmadiyya protest rally

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit:  The Nation | Pakistan
By Syed Danish Hussain | January 30, 2012

RAWALPINDI- A number of activists of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) holding their respective party flags on Sunday added to the strength of well over a thousand of students of religious seminaries registered with Deoband school of thought who gathered near Holy Family Hospital to protest against the sole worship place of Ahmedi community in the city.

The protest rally was organised by an Action Committee, a forum comprising of representatives of local traders, Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat, local Ulemas and so-called social activists, constituted a few months ago to achieve one-point agenda that is the closure of “Ewane Tauheed”, sole worship place of Ahmadiyya community located in Block-E, Satellite Town.

Heavy contingent of police including elite force were deployed by the city administration on the occasion and all the link roads leading to the worship place were closed down by the police by erecting hurdles to keep at distance the charged protesters from the targeted worship place.


The protest rally concluded when the leading Ulema observed the renaming ceremony of a busy intersection located at 100 yards distance from the worship place. The intersection that was earlier known as Holy Family Chowk has now been renamed as Khatm-e-Nabowat Chowk.

The protest rally started at 01:00 p.m. was concluded at 04:00 p.m., a time that city administration has given earlier to the representatives of action committee to hold the protest gathering after negotiations between them were failed over the issue. The representatives of Jammat-e-Islami, Jammit Ulema-e-Islam and Sunni Tehrik also participated in the gathering. Several leading Ulema and trader union activists spoke to the gathering on the occasion. The atmosphere during the period remained charged with the anti-Ahmadi slogans.

Speakers on the occasion lambasted the community members for their beliefs and practices and called upon the government to take necessary steps against what they termed “Fitna-e-Qadyaniat”. They also accused former President General Pervaiz Mushrraf for backing the Ahmadi community in the country.
Several bookstalls containing material wrote against the Ahmadiyya community by scholars were also established on the occasion.

Allama Abdur Shakoor, Allama Qazi Mazhar (SSP), Haroon Tayyab (JuD), Maulana Abdul Jalil Naqshbandi were prominent among other local Ulema, who spoke on the occasion.

A representative of the administration of Ahmadiyya community worship place wishing not to be named said the worship place was registered with Anjuman-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan.

To a question that the worship place falls within the non-conforming use of residential unit, he said, in Satellite Town area alone dozens of mosques fell within the same category. When asked why the Ahmadiyya community was not moving the court to resolve the issue, he said in Pakistan nine out of 10 cases went against the Ahmadis. “It does not mean the judges are biased but it is the fear of death which forced them to verdict against us,” he lamented.

He said the campaign was nothing new for the community members, as on the basis of such propaganda dozens of our worship places around the country have either been demolished or encroached upon by the opportunists, who launch such conspiracy.

He said as per charter of Anjuman-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan we could carryout our religious activities within the premises of worship place located in E-Block. It was started in October 2011, when a local trader, ostensibly, as a result of the cultural implications of the laws and constitutional amendments regarding Ahmadis in the country, announced the presence of Ahmadis worship place in E-Block of Satellite Town and consequently their worship activities there as unconstitutional.

At start only three to four banners were hanged within few yards area around the worship place inscribed with writing like “Ahmadis should end their unconstitutional activities in the area.” But with the passage of time this “popular slogan” caught the attention of several other Muslims.

And now one can witness hundreds of banners with same-like inscriptions hanging in and around the whole Satellite Town area. The local trader who is the initiator of the move is not alone today, as representatives of two major factions of trade unions of city Rawalpindi, Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat and some so-called social activists have also joined the hands of that local trader.


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