Pakistan: Radical Islamists set ablaze two Ahmadiyya places of worship

Islamabad, Aug 18 A leading minority group on Monday condemned the violence against religious minorities in Pakistan, highlighting the recent torching of two Ahmadiyya places of worship by a mob led by leaders of the radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

The Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) mentioned that on the occasion of Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, extremists turned the country’s streets into battlegrounds of hate. In Faisalabad district of Punjab province, two Ahmadiyya places of worship were set ablaze by the mob serving as an ugly reminder that in Pakistan, religious freedom remains an illusion.

Citing police reports, the rights body revealed that more than 300 attackers, armed with rods and bricks, descended on Ahmadiyya worshippers under the cover of Independence Day processions in the Dijkot area.

The VOPM highlighted that their main target was the two mosques built decades before Pakistan criminalized Ahmadiyya worship in 1984. They tore down minarets, delivered fiery hate speeches, and torched the buildings while hurling stones at nearby Ahmadiyya homes.

The rights body stressed that the violent incident left families, including women and children terrorised, while several sustained injuries.

According to the VOPM, the mob was reportedly led by TLP ticket-holder Hafiz Rafaqat, exposing once again how mainstream extremist groups openly incite violence under political and religious banners. It stated that TLP, notorious for its violent street power, enjoys immunity in Pakistan's political and judicial system while minorities pay the price.

“This was no spontaneous riot — it was organised terrorism, with cases now registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. Yet, history shows such cases rarely lead to real accountability. Arrests are made, but justice seldom follows, as extremist groups continue to act as untouchable power brokers,” read a statement issued by VOPM.

The rights body emphasised that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had, a day before the violent incident, warned about rising hate speech from clerics against non-Muslims. However, it said the warning was ignored and the Pakistani police response was reactionary, not preventive.

Although 25 arrests were made, the VOPM noted that the police officials refused to confirm whether those detained included the nominated suspects.

“The silence of Faisalabad’s police chief further reflects the institutional reluctance to confront extremism head-on,” said the rights body.

Raising concern, the VOPM stressed that this is not an isolated incident but is part of a systemic, decades-long campaign against Ahmadiyyas and other minorities in Pakistan.

“From discriminatory laws to mob violence, the Pakistani state has allowed extremist ideologies to flourish unchecked. Every time the state bends to clerical power, it emboldens groups like TLP to dictate who belongs in the ‘Islamic Republic’ and who does not,” the VOPM stated.

If Pakistan wants to have any credibility as a modern nation, the rights body demanded, then the authorities must crush extremist groups like TLP rather than appeasing them. Additionally, the VOPM called on to enforce Supreme Court rulings against hate speech and mob violence and also protect minorities as equal citizens, not "sacrificial pawns in a theocratic power game".

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