Police in Vehari defaced sacred inscriptions on Ahmadi gravestones for a second day, allegedly to appease extremists. The police acted after local pressure, raising concerns about unlawful actions.
For the second consecutive day, police in Vehari have defaced sacred inscriptions inscribed on graves of the local Ahmadiyya community.
The incident took place in a join graveyard where graves of the local Ahmadiyya community are located in a secluded enclave with some graves.
On September 26, 2024, police officers again visited the cemetery in EB-245, of District Vehari, and blacked out religious inscriptions on the tombstones of Ahmadis. The incident occurred within the remits of the Sheikh Fazil Police Station.
A day earlier, on September 25, police from the Gaggo Mandi area had defaced inscriptions on 13 Ahmadi gravestones in the graveyard in response to demands from extremist groups.
Reports suggest that local opponents had pressured the district administration to remove the sacred inscriptions from Ahmadi gravestones, with some extremists threatening to carry out the act themselves unless the administration acted. In response, the police assured them that the authorities would handle the matter, preventing members of any religious sect from taking the matter into their hands.
Attempts by the local Ahmadi community to register a complaint over the acts of vandalism were rebuffed by the police.
Following the incidents of September 25, the incidents were repeated on September 26, when at approximately 5pm, five police officers arrived at the cemetery and proceeded to paint over the inscriptions on the gravestones.
The Ahmadi community stated that this action has raised concerns about police complicity in the illegal acts and to bowing to pressure from religious hardliners and extremists.
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