[Updated] | Pakistan: Violent mob sets fire to Ahmadi homes in Gujranwala under police watch

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"Pakistanis celebrate end of Ramdhan by burning down Ahmadi houses, " said Imarn Jattala, chief editor of Ahmadiyya Times, in a social media post. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Times
By Staff report | July 26, 2014
First posted: 12:05 PST

While the local police watched, Ahmadi houses are set on fire by a Islamist mob in People's Colony of Gujranwala town in the central Punjab, a Province of Pakistan.

The incident stated in the late evening on Sunday, July 27th.

According to Mr. Saleem-ud Din, the Ahmadiyya community representative in Pakistan, the fire truck responding to to the fire were turned back by the mob and the local police was keeping away all help from the burning structures.

A large contingent of police was unwilling to stop the violent mob and multiple houses were on fire as of the last reports.

"Pakistanis celebrate end of Ramadan by burning down Ahmadi houses," said Imarn Jattala, chief editor of Ahmadiyya Times, in a social media post.

Dr. Basharat Nazir, national spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the UK, stated through his private Twitter account that the ultimate fault for the anti-Ahmadiyya crimes rest with the government of Pakistan.

"Pakistan govt continues to refuse that Ordinance XX makes Ahmadis a fair game for arson, murder, harassment anytime anywhere." wrote Dr. Nazir.

[Update] There is no confirmed information available yet as to the safety and security of the occupant of the houses on fire however unconfirmed reports say several women and children have sustained serious injuries and burns.

[Update] According to a report on locals TV channel, Samaa, a women and two children have died from the fires. A large Muslim mob was shown dancing in the streets while Ahmadi homes were being brunt and occupants killed.

[Update] According to a local source who spoke on condition of anonymity, police and media have inaccurately introduced the notion that there were clashes between Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi groups.

"These were attacks on Ahmadis, pure and simple, the source said. "And those who tried to protect themselves from beatings were termed as 'clashing.'"

"Reporters like Asad Kharal of Express Tribune made a liberal use of the word 'clashes' and insinuated that Ahmadis started it when they attacked some individuals who have come to protest about blasphemous materials posted on Facebook," the source further added.

Kamal went on to say that 7 Ahmadis who were injured, suffered so because they decided to "lock up themselves in their houses."

Tahir Imran, a BBC New Media Journalist & Social Media Producer for @BBCUrdu, reported that first Gujranwalla police DSP, Malik Afzal, "blatantly lied" that there were no attacks on Ahmadis at all.

"The DSP Poeple's Colony Malik Afzal termed the burning & ransacking of these houses as "protest on the road & burning few tires"," Tahir Imran posted in his Twitter timeline.

[Update] According to Ahmadiyya spokesperson, Mr. Saleem-ud Din, 3 Ahmadis have died from the fires and four other are critically injured. The dead are identified as 55 year old Bashiran Bibi, 7 year old Hira and her sister Kainat.

[Update] In a latest confirmation by the Ahmadiyya spokesperson, the death toll has now increased to 4 as an unborn baby died in her mothers womb due to suffocation and fire at their home. The miscarriage was suffered at the hospital where the pregnant woman was being treated for the injuries suffered due to the fire.

[Update] In a Twitter update, posted about 12:30 PM, Monday, July 28, 2014 (PKT),  Mr Saleem-ud Dim said that the Ahmadi women who had suffered a miscarriage earlier, is still in critical condition.

"Our #Ahmadi sister who lost her unborn baby is still fighting for her life & needs our special prayers," Mr Saleem-ud Din wrote

"In total eight homes belonging to Ahmadi Muslims were burnt by anti-Ahmadi extremists," the Ahmadiyya community has confirmed..

[End Updates]

NOTE: Due to the constant stream of information, this post has been updated multiple times and subject to more updates.


--  [Breaking] | Pakistan: Violent mob sets fire to Ahmadi homes in Gujranwala under police watch



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