Ahmadis are being persecuted not only by their fellow Pakistanis but by the state as well and this is the bitter truth. Perhaps this is ‘no country for Ahmadis’.
Source/Credit: Daily Times | Pakistan
By Gulmina Bilal Ahmad | September 13, 2013
Regardless of their religious beliefs, Ahmadis have the right to lead private lives, being citizens of this state, which if seen logically, is granted to them by the very constitution that takes away their right to practice religion freely
Some call it persecution, others call it social exclusion, but I think of it as culling: the selective slaughter of a community already marginalised to the extent that they do not feel safe even inside their homes. Thanks to Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for sanctioning this slaughter.
Regardless of their religious beliefs, Ahmadis have the right to lead private lives, being citizens of this state, which if seen logically, is granted to them by the very constitution that takes away their right to practice religion freely. They have an equal right to get an education, participate in politics, social events and gatherings and conduct their businesses, etc. But none of this happens in Pakistan.
The most recent episode of persecution against Ahmadis at the state level occurred when right before the May 2013 election, separate voter lists were released for them. This led to the disassociation of the Ahmadiya community from the general election. They were of the view that being citizens of Pakistan, they have the right to vote like every other Pakistani irrespective of his/her religious beliefs. If there are no separate voter lists for other minorities residing in Pakistan then there should not be any separate voter list for Ahmadis. However, this reservation was never addressed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The hatred against Ahmadis is so deeply rooted in our society that even representatives of the government and its institutions avoid taking sides with Ahmadis.
The ECP announced re-election in two constituencies in the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province because women did not participate in these elections. The women of these constituencies did not even ask for a re-election, but this decision was taken on ECP’s own behest as a precedent to ensure participation of women in elections but Ahmadis were totally ignored as if they did not even exist. This is certainly not Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan where minorities were to be as free as Muslims. Mr Jinnah was against theocracy and believed that the only role of the ulema and religious scholars was to provide religious guidance to people. However, it all went wrong after Mr Jinnah’s death.
Muhammad Zafrullah Khan was a prominent jurist, a close aide of Mr Jinnah and the person who drafted the Pakistan resolution. He was an Ahmadi but Mr Jinnah did not bother about his religious beliefs. Mr Khan was appointed the first foreign minister of Pakistan. He also served as a judge in the International Court of Justice, The Hague. Professor Dr Abdus Salam is another prominent Ahmadi, the only Pakistani to have won a Nobel Prize. He too was disenfranchised not only by Pakistanis but by Pakistan as well.
In fact, a number of key positions in the early days of Pakistan and even before the creation of Pakistan were held by members of the Ahmadiya community. And the only reason was they were educated and had the capacity to fight for Pakistan. However, the state disenfranchised the Ahmadiya community on the behest of our so-called religious leaders. These were the same people who called Quaid-e-Azam ‘Kafir-e-Azam’ and opposed the creation of Pakistan, but later became guardians of the state and its religion.
Just a few days ago, on September 8, 2013, an anniversary was celebrated all over Pakistan. This anniversary marked 39 years of the passing of the Second Amendment that pronounced Ahmadis as non-Muslims. Some of the most shameless and hate-filled statements were released by many a prominent religious leader of Pakistan on this day. Some called for the social and economic boycott of Ahmadis, some branded their activities as suspicious and called for serious action against them.
A famous TV personality or more appropriately a televangelist, Dr Amir Liaqat Hussain, whose morality was questioned after a video clip showed him hurling indecent comments on the participants of his show, was also at the forefront against the Ahmadis. He asked the Muslim community to unite in support of the blasphemy laws. He opposed any amendment to the blasphemy laws in the country. Another famous religious figure called Ahmadis ‘stooges of the west’ while a ‘Pir Sahib’ called for the banishment of Ahmadis from the country.
These statements mirrored what is happening in Pakistan. Ahmadis are being persecuted not only by their fellow Pakistanis but by the state as well and this is the bitter truth. Perhaps this is ‘no country for Ahmadis’.
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Gulmina Bilal Ahmad is a development consultant. She tweets at @GulminaBilal and can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com
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