On the night of 27–28 February 2025, police in Gujranwala desecrated a 120-year-old Ahmadi Muslim Mosque, violating the religious freedoms of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and defying existing rulings of Pakistan’s Superior Courts. The police, acting under extremist pressure, forcibly entered the Mosque and carried out the desecration despite clear legal precedents protecting Ahmadi Muslim mosques.
A video of the act can be seen here.
When local Ahmadi Muslims and other concerned residents questioned the validity of the police’s actions, officers arrested five Ahmadi Muslims and four locals. Instead of upholding the law, the police criminalised those seeking justice while desecrating a historic mosque. The arrested individuals were only released after the destruction had been completed, reinforcing the pattern of state-backed persecution and impunity.
A police officer uses heavy machinery to cut down the minaret of the 120-year-old Ahmadi mosque in Gujranwala under the cover of dusk.
This act is part of an escalating crackdown on Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, where Mosques are routinely targeted, religious practices are disrupted, and community members are unlawfully detained for defending their rights. The deliberate violation of judicial rulings highlights the increasing disregard for legal protections and the rule of law, as authorities continue to bow to extremist demands rather than uphold constitutional rights.
The desecration of this historic Mosque and the unjustified arrests of Ahmadi Muslims violate Pakistan’s own constitutional protections, as well as international human rights obligations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Source: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.