Ahmadiyya Muslim sect in Pakistan has once again brought to light the deep-rooted disdain for minority communities in the country with a recent incident in Okara district where a 35-year-old community member was killed.
Abdul Salam, 33, a father of three, was on his way back home from the field when a seminary student, Hafiz Ali Raza alias Mulazim Husain, attacked him with a knife.
Salam was stabbed by the suspect several times in the chest and abdomen, injuring him critically. The victim's uncle Zafar Iqbal tried to stop the suspect but he managed his escape. Salam died instantly, reported Dawn.
Salam's uncle Iqbal said that the Ahmadi families living in the Okara district were feeling highly insecure after the incident and demanded that the police arrest the suspect and provide security to their community.
Okara District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Gulzar told this reporter that the suspect was taken into custody and was being interrogated.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the killing. The commission tweeted, "The brutal murder of an Ahmadi man in Okara, who was reportedly stabbed to death by a seminary student, serves to remind us just how precarious the lives of religious minorities have become. Until the rising tide of religiosity is stemmed and better protection mechanisms put in place, they will remain lesser citizens. This is unacceptable and the perpetrators must be brought to book," as per the media portal.
Back in 2020, a detailed report by the UK-based All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) had revealed details about the discrimination the Ahmadiyya community has been facing in Pakistan.
The APPG Inquiry heard disturbing evidence that anti-Ahmadiyya hatred is taught to children in schools, including in their textbooks.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group had called for the repeal of anti-Ahmadiyya laws in Pakistan and some of its key recommendations to the Government of Pakistan include removing the publications ban on Ahmadiyya Muslim literature and ensuring full freedom of religion for all religious communities in Pakistan.
( With inputs from ANI )
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