It is reported that The Lahore University of Management Science-LUMS chapter of Amnesty International, was forced to drop a panellist only because he belongs to the Ahmadiyya Community after the LUMS administration ‘abruptly told’ them to drop him.
Ironically, the event itself was on ‘Tolerance in Pakistan: Life of Minorities in Pakistan’. Amnesty International LUMS chapter had earlier announced the event to be held on 6 December with this panellist on the poster. Eventually, the event went ahead without him. It is heart-breaking to note that such is the height of discrimination and dogma in Pakistan that the administration of even an internationally recognised institution of higher education like LUMS has fallen prey to this grave trend of discrimination against an extremely marginalized community; and a chapter of an organisation like Amnesty International have had to accede to such a discriminatory instruction.
It is high time to raise the issue of discrimination against Ahmadis of Pakistan in international circles, so that the government of Pakistan may find itself compelled to honour its international commitments regarding religious freedom of citizens of Pakistan. The situation only continues to worsen day by day for the Ahmadis living in Pakistan. Just a few days ago, IHRC reported on an Ahmadi man who was booked under the country’s Anti Ahmadiyya laws, section 298-B &298-Cof PPC, by Karachi police for using the prefix “Syed” with his name.
This must be stopped at all costs and nipped in the bud to stop the perpetrators and brought to justice immediately. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution as the government and authorities encourage this behavior. They must be stopped and discouraged from using cheap tactics to achieve political gain and immediately cease the spread of hate speech in the country which is endangering countless innocent lives.
We call upon the international community and human rights groups to stand up against this injustice against Ahmadis in Pakistan and urge the media and government to immediately eliminate targeting Ahmadi Muslims under laws that curb free expression, including religious expression, and bans on their religious texts, online and offline.
On July 13, 2021, UN human rights experts expressed their deep concern over the lack of attention to the serious human rights violations perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya community around the world and called on the international community to step up efforts in bringing an end to the ongoing persecution of Ahmadis.
We once again strongly urge the international community to impress upon the Government of Pakistan to discharge any absurd cases against Ahmadis and release all held in custody and thus honor its responsibility to provide effective protection and freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis and that perpetrators of such vicious actions should be brought to justice, to bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by Article 20 and United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 2, 18 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 25, 26.
Source Web: www.hrcommittee.org
More information
UK Home Office Country Policy and Information Note Pakistan Ahmadis
UN three SRs joint statement issued on Ahmadiyya Persecution worldwide issued on 13 July 2021
USCIRF 2021 Ahmadiyya Persecution Factsheet
CAP LC HRC Written statement International community must pay attention to the state- sponsored persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and worldwide
Submission 42th UPR Session PAKISTAN Jan – Feb 2023 Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
