PAKISTAN: Prosecute ruling party legislator for spreading religious hatred

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information. It regards the hate speech against a religious minority group, the Ahmadi Muslims. It was delivered by a member of the ruling political party, the PML-N. He is the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Shareef. The speech resulted in dangerous consequences. In one Court session three members of the Ahmadi community were sentenced on charges of Blasphemy. The convicted Ahmadis were found guilty of displaying a poster and banners in an offending manner at their place of worship.

Being a member of the ruling party, the Government has still not taken any action against the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister nor condemned his hate speech.

CASE NARRATIVE:

On October 10, Captain Safdar, the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister, who was ousted by the Supreme Court on corruption charges, made a fiery speech in the National Assembly against the persecuted Ahmadiyya Community. It was a sudden act on the part of the ruling party which has a majority in the National Assembly. The presiding officer, deputy speaker, out of turn, gave time to the Captain stopping the proceedings so that he could deliver his hate-filled speech.

He instigated the Judiciary, Armed Forces, Government and other Institutions to get rid of persons from the Ahmadiyya Community. He also urged the Pakistani Armed Forces not to recruit Ahmadis. Institutions must introduce an oath whereby every future official must declare that they are not an Ahmadi. And, they believe in the ending of the Prophet Hood after the last prophet of Islam, Mohammad (peace be upon him).

The lower Judiciary took the speech of the member of the National Assembly as a message from the Government. Within 24 hours of the speech, a District and Sessions Court sentenced three Ahmadis to death for tearing apart posters against them. The accused persons, it is alleged, tore down the posters and banners pasted outside the walls of their Mosque. They had slogans stating that Ahmadis are infidels and liable to be killed. The posters instigated people to boycott Ahmadis in all walks of life.

The case of blasphemy against three Ahmadis: Mr. Ehsan Ahmad, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad, and Mr. Mubashir Ahmad, was filed on October 2014 at the Sharaqpur Police Station, Punjab province. The Court fined them two hundred thousand Rupees each. In case of non-payment they would receive six month jail sentences. The Court found that they have torn apart sacred words written on the posters.

Furthermore, religious parties have taken up the task of Fatwas (edicts) which divide the society on the basis of religious hatred. Two Federal Ministers have been targeted by fundamentalist religious parties. They had criticized the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister for his statement against the Amadis. The Ministers are now being forced to clarify their statements. One Law Minister from the Punjab Provincial Cabinet has been asked to resign from his post for criticizing Captain Safder’s statement.

Captain Safdar in his National Assembly speech said that the Pakistan Armed Forces must rid itself of Ahmadis. A Certificate was introduced for recruitment time. A soldier needs to declare that he is not an Ahmadi before the Oath can be taken.

The speech of Captain Safdar contravenes Article 21 of the Constitution that states that every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice and propagate his religion; and (b) every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions.

Though the speeches inside the assemblies can be challenged legally, however, the speech in question is delivered against the only persecuted section of the population who proved to the most peaceful religious community. Unfortunately, when state and religious fundamentalists have nothing to offer to the public, they trigger the anti Ahmadiyya sentiment to rally their accomplices around them. This is what is happening in Pakistan today.

The Ahmadis who have been under the sword of persecution for several decades now have once again become the target of such elements who are bent upon spreading fire and fury against Ahmadis. This tactic has been used by the politicians of Pakistan many times and has resulted in the loss of lives and properties of Ahmadis. School going children are rusticated because of their faith and competent and hard working efficient Ahmadis sacked from jobs justbecause of their belief.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

According to the census of 1995, Ahmadis make up a mere 0.25 per cent of our population. Yet the State fears their presence and deems their existence a threat to national ideology. The State has appointed its ‘Counter Terrorism Force’ to terrorize the hapless community and to restrain them from professing their religion.

While on one side a Parliamentary Platform is used to spew hatred against the beleaguered community, on the other side, the State is hoodwinking the international community by denying the persecution of Ahmadis.

In a conference held recently at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Mr. Aizaz Chaudhry, vehemently denied the “State sponsored” persecution of minority Ahmadiyya Muslims stating that;

“I do not agree with you that there is State sponsorship of such activity. Far from that, all citizens of Pakistan are equal in their rights under the Constitution.”

Since the promulgation of the anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance, 27 Ahmadiyya Mosques have been demolished, while 33 Ahmadiyya Mosques have been sealed off by the Authorities. Moreover, 21 Ahmadiyya Mosques been set on fire or damaged and 17 Ahmadiyya Mosques have been forcibly occupied.

The State is also using arm-wrangling tactics to persecute this minority. The Punjab Provincial Assembly in 1999 changed the name of Rabwah to Chenab Nagar. It allocated hundreds of housing projects to non-Ahmadi settlers to transform the town and drive away the infidel Ahmadis.

As if social, economic, legal and religious persecution was not enough, the masses have been instigated to kill Ahmadis as a service to religion. 

Spiteful murderers of Ahmadi not only go scot-free but they are celebrated as heroes. Many Ahmadi accused of blasphemy have been killed in jail by Police Officers. Not a single person responsible was ever caught and disciplinary action taken against them.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the following Authorities, calling them to take serious note of Captain Safder’s hate speech against a particular religious community. Safder is a member of the National Assembly and the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. He must be prosecuted for inciting people against the Ahmadiyya community, provoking lynching and sectarian riots. The Government of Pakistan must provide security and protection for the followers of the Ahmadiyya sect and their sacred places. The ruling party must terminate his membership of the assembly.

The international community must discern the situation which is developing against the Ahmaddiya Community and force the Government to honor the rights of every sect.

“The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of freedom of religion or belief calling for his intervention into this matter”.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER