On the Muslim holy day of Eid, Ahmadiyya Muslim worshippers across Punjab and Sindh faced widespread obstruction and hostility. In multiple instances, the police—often in the presence of extremist groups—prevented Ahmadis from offering Eid prayers, while authorities sealed yet more Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques. These developments mark a disturbing surge in the ongoing persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and a deliberate effort to deny them their right to worship.
TLP extremists outside Ahmadi Muslim mosques inciting hatred and violence.
Eid Prayers Disrupted
In Lahore, Eid prayers were disrupted at five sites, including the central Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Garhi Shahu and mosques in Model Town and Allama Iqbal Town. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organised protests, with members chanting hate slogans and inciting violence at mosque entrances. Similar reports emerged from Sheikhupura in Farooqabad, Kajhar, Kot Abdul Malik, and Bidadpur. In Sahiwal (6/11-L) and certain areas of Rawalpindi, the community was likewise barred from congregating to pray. Karachi witnessed four locations subject to forced closures or severe restrictions, continuing the pattern of intimidation.
Mosques Sealed
On the same day in Karachi, authorities sealed two more Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques in Azizabad and North Karachi, while TLP supporters allegedly vandalised the mosque in Azizabad and covered its walls with hate graffiti.
This follows similar measures taken against Ahmadi mosques in Baldia Town and Malir Colony, bringing the total number of sealed Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques to around ten. During these raids, several members of the community were briefly arrested. Though released later, the arrests heightened the climate of fear and harassment.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence and hostility directed at Ahmadiyya Muslims. So far in 2025, over 169 graves belonging to the community have been desecrated. Currently, 42 Ahmadiyya Muslims remain behind bars on faith-based charges, with bail often denied or severely delayed. Hate campaigns on social media and at public rallies have also grown more frequent and intense, generally proceeding unchecked.
For 50 years, Ahmadi Muslims has contended with constitutional and social discrimination in Pakistan, yet the developments of this Eid reveal a worsening crisis. The coordinated sealing of mosques, denial of fundamental worship rights, and imposition of baseless arrests represent a serious escalation of anti-Ahmadi sentiment. These actions violate both Pakistan’s constitutional commitments to religious freedom and internationally recognised human rights standards.
Source: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.