UNITED NATIONS: On Thursday, United Nations experts expressed serious concern over the rising discrimination and violence against Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya minority community, highlighting alarming incidents such as extrajudicial killings and attacks on places of worship. The Ahmadiyya sect, persecuted for decades in Pakistan, has faced escalating threats and intimidation in recent years.
The eight independent experts, including special rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion, issued a statement condemning the situation. “We are alarmed by ongoing reports of violence and discrimination against the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan,” they said. “Urgent measures are necessary to respond to these violent attacks and the broader atmosphere of hatred and discrimination which feeds it.”
The experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but do not represent the United Nations, detailed several troubling incidents. Notable among these were the extrajudicial killing of two Ahmadis in Saad Ullah Pur on July 8 and the killing of the president of the Ahmadiyya community in Bahawalpur district on March 4. They also reported an alarming rise in attacks on Ahmadi places of worship and cemeteries, some resulting in serious injuries to worshippers.
Further, the statement highlighted reports of arbitrary arrests of Ahmadi worshippers during religious holidays, aimed at obstructing their religious practices. With approximately 500,000 Ahmadis in Pakistan, according to their community leadership, the experts stressed that the community’s right to peacefully manifest their beliefs must be respected. They criticized the judicial harassment that normalizes violence against Ahmadis by non-State actors.
While welcoming the recent resolution by Pakistan’s National Assembly urging the protection of all citizens, including religious minorities, the experts cautioned that such measures would be ineffective unless they address the structural drivers of discrimination, including blasphemy laws and other discriminatory legal provisions.
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