On 22 September, a large protest led by clerics and activists from Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a far-right religious extremist organisation, took place outside the Baitul Zikr mosque in Islamia Park, Lahore. Approximately 300 to 400 clerics and their followers gathered, chanting slogans and calling for the immediate closure of the mosque. The protest was the culmination of an ongoing dispute-initiated days earlier when extremists installed two surveillance cameras aimed at the mosque members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, raising concerns about potential misuse of the footage for harassment or incitement.
In response, Ahmadi Muslim members reported the situation to the local police, who visited the homes where the cameras were installed. One homeowner claimed no knowledge of the cameras, while another asserted, they were installed by an internet service provider to protect equipment. Efforts to contact the provider were unsuccessful. The police officer removed one camera, but the other remained due to the homeowner’s insistence on security.
Tensions escalated until the protest on September 22. The protesters demanded that the mosque be searched and sealed. Despite police efforts to de-escalate the situation by inviting the clerics to discuss their concerns at the station, they refused to leave. A large contingent of police officers remained present to maintain order.
The police eventually searched the mosque in the protestor’s presence, finding nothing objectionable. During the search, a protestor photographed the prayer niche (mihrab), which later served as “evidence” in their complaints against Ahmadi Muslims. The police urged the protestors to continue discussions at the station, but the group remained adamant about sealing the mosque permanently, citing local discontent. The police explained they could not act without higher orders.
The protestors warned the police that they would not be able to control the crowd if their demands were not met. While they claimed to have restrained their followers from violence, they threatened that continued Ahmadi Muslim worship in the mosque could lead to an uncontrollable reaction by the crowd. Despite these threats, the police held their position, repeating the need for instructions from senior authorities.
By the end of the night, most protestors had dispersed, but a small group continued chanting anti-Ahmadi Muslim slogans using loudspeakers. The police maintained their presence to prevent further escalation. The family of the Ahmadi Muslim missionary inside the mosque and other members were safely evacuated. Notably, this same group of clerics had previously succeeded in closing another Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Sham Nagar, Lahore, and had filed legal cases against several community members.
Source: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.