The minarets of an Ahmadi place of worship were desecrated by the police in Sheikupura on Wednesday under pressure from extremist individuals.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ahmadi community said that the authorities had once again failed to provide protection to the worship places of Ahmadis. “The Ahmadiyya persecution has reached unprecedented heights,” the statement added.
Earlier, on Tuesday, police removed sacred wordings from two other Ahmadi places of worship in the Shadiwal and Chooknawali districts of Gujrat. A day later, the police officials realised that removing sacred wording was not enough, and demolished the sacred wording using hammers, later taking the debris with them.
The Ahmadi community spokesperson said that instead of protecting the worship places, the police these days pressure Ahmadis to desecrate their worship places themselves and upon the community’s refusal, the cops carry out the desecration on their own.
“The acts carried out by the police are nothing but the fulfilment of the vain desires of extremists elements,” the spokesperson said.
On August 21, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar mentioned Ahmadis along with other minorities during his speech condemning the Jaranwala incident where churches and Christian homes were burnt by a mob over blasphemy allegations. But since that speech, three Ahmadi worship places have been desecrated in Pakistan.
This year alone, there were 18 attacks on Ahmadi places of worship in the country. According to the community, the police either take part in the desecration or give a free hand to extremist individuals to attack the worship places.
