ISLAMABAD: The death of Laeeq Cheema, a 47-year-old Ahmadi businessman, killed by a frenzied mob for praying in a Karachi worship hall, has ignited outrage, exposing the relentless persecution of Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya community.
The attack, led by activists of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) enraged over Cheema allegedly filming them on Sunday, underscores a state-backed system of bigotry.
Pakistan’s 500,000 Ahmadis face an apartheid-like existence, stripped of religious freedom since the 1974 second amendment to the constitution declared them non-Muslims. Ordinance XX of 1984 bans Ahmadis from identifying as Muslims or using Islamic symbols, with violations risking imprisonment or death under blasphemy laws. Over 4,100 Ahmadis have faced charges since, including 335 for blasphemy, fuelled by TLP’s hate-filled rhetoric at Khatm-e-Nabuwat conferences. Urdu media and businesses amplify this bigotry, with shops in Punjab and Sindh refusing service to Ahmadis.
The Karachi lynching is not isolated. In 2023, 34 attacks targeted Ahmadi worship sites, with police often complicit, demolishing graves or detaining victims instead of attackers.
After Cheema’s killing, a TLP-affiliated union council chairman and over a dozen others were arrested, but justice remains doubtful. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned police for taking 25 Ahmadis into “protective custody”, calling it state-enabled persecution. Posts on X labeled it “religious apartheid”.
The military, though not directly involved, shares blame for this impunity. General Zia-ul-Haq’s 1980s Islamisation policies entrenched anti-Ahmadi laws, and the military’s political dominance lets groups like TLP thrive. The state’s inaction against TLP’s violent campaigns, like the 2017 Islamabad sit-in, emboldens mobs. Last June, 11 Ahmadis in Punjab faced FIRs after TLP complaints, with police caving to extremists.
Ahmadis live in fear, hiding their identities to avoid harassment, job loss, or violence. Many boycott censuses, shun public worship, and face grave desecration. Cheema’s death highlights their vulnerability, with women especially trapped by religious and gender discrimination.
The attack, led by activists of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) enraged over Cheema allegedly filming them on Sunday, underscores a state-backed system of bigotry.
Pakistan’s 500,000 Ahmadis face an apartheid-like existence, stripped of religious freedom since the 1974 second amendment to the constitution declared them non-Muslims. Ordinance XX of 1984 bans Ahmadis from identifying as Muslims or using Islamic symbols, with violations risking imprisonment or death under blasphemy laws. Over 4,100 Ahmadis have faced charges since, including 335 for blasphemy, fuelled by TLP’s hate-filled rhetoric at Khatm-e-Nabuwat conferences. Urdu media and businesses amplify this bigotry, with shops in Punjab and Sindh refusing service to Ahmadis.
The Karachi lynching is not isolated. In 2023, 34 attacks targeted Ahmadi worship sites, with police often complicit, demolishing graves or detaining victims instead of attackers.
After Cheema’s killing, a TLP-affiliated union council chairman and over a dozen others were arrested, but justice remains doubtful. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned police for taking 25 Ahmadis into “protective custody”, calling it state-enabled persecution. Posts on X labeled it “religious apartheid”.
The military, though not directly involved, shares blame for this impunity. General Zia-ul-Haq’s 1980s Islamisation policies entrenched anti-Ahmadi laws, and the military’s political dominance lets groups like TLP thrive. The state’s inaction against TLP’s violent campaigns, like the 2017 Islamabad sit-in, emboldens mobs. Last June, 11 Ahmadis in Punjab faced FIRs after TLP complaints, with police caving to extremists.
Ahmadis live in fear, hiding their identities to avoid harassment, job loss, or violence. Many boycott censuses, shun public worship, and face grave desecration. Cheema’s death highlights their vulnerability, with women especially trapped by religious and gender discrimination.
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