Forty six (46) year old Laeeq Cheema, who belonged to the Ahmadiyya community, was lynched on Friday, by a mob of several hundred workers from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far right religio-political party in the jurisdiction of the Preedy police station, in Karachi’s Saddar (mobile market) area. Cheema was beaten so badly that he succumbed to his wounds before he could be taken to the hospital.
Forty six (46) year old Laeeq Cheema, who belonged to the Ahmadiyya community, was lynched on Friday, by a mob of several hundred workers from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far right religio-political party in the jurisdiction of the Preedy police station, in Karachi’s Saddar (mobile market) area.
Cheema was beaten so badly that he succumbed to his wounds before he could be taken to the hospital.
The incident occurred during a usual protest demonstration by TLP. The activists had collected outside an Ahmadi place of worship, as it has been doing every Friday – across the country – to prevent the community from observing their religious rituals, according to reports by eye witnesses and the police.
Police said that at least 400 activists from the party had gathered outside the Ahmadiyya ibadatgah.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said that police had already been deployed in the area because of past incidents that had happened across Karachi, in Shah Latif, Surjani, and Khokhrapar. The other Ahmadis inside the prayer house were rescued by law enforcement agencies, said DIG Raza, who said that they had acted swiftly to protect the 40 other people.
Beaten to death
The tragic incident unfolded near the Saddar auto parts market, in close proximity to the prayer hall. Station House Officer (SHO) of the Preedy Station, Shabbir Husain said that the victim Cheema had been making videos of the TLP workers near Hashoo Centre when the mob attacked and killed him.
A spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community, Amir Mehmood, said that continuous hatred was being spread against Ahmadis in Pakistan since some time, and open calls for the murder of Ahmadis are being made.
“For the past few months, miscreants from TLP have been besieging our places of worship,” he said while condemning the Karachi tragedy. “Sadly it is the administration, that on their baseless demands, is registering cases against Ahmadis, destroying their gravestones, their places of worship, and staying silent while we are being attacked. Ahmadis have remained peaceful and have been quietly carrying out their religious obligations in the privacy of their four walls. Still community members have been arrested unnecessarily.”
Mehmood reiterated that the Ahmadiyya Hall in Karachi was attacked by miscreant elements on February 2nd, 2023, and September 4th, 2023, and its minarets had also been demolished. Like others these attacks also were organized by the TLP.
“Article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan recognizes and guarantees the religious freedom of citizens,” said Mehmood. “Violent elements seem to be having a free hand, intensifying their actions against Ahmadis, and the administration appears to be failing to provide protection to Ahmadis.”
He demanded that the authorities immediately arrest the murderers of Laeeq Ahmad Cheema Sahib and punish them according to the law.
Hundreds of TLP people surrounded the British-era Ahmadiyya Hall off the Abdullah Haroon Road, effectively holding the 40 or so Ahmadi worshippers hostage. According to information, the victim, Laeeq Cheema, was passing through the area, approximately 100-150 meters away from the place of worship.
“He was a known figure of our community, therefore, the TLP members instantly recognized him and turned their violence on him,” explained Amir Mehmood while speaking to Voicepk.
SHO Shabbir Husain confirmed that dozens of the Ahmadi community members who were inside the worship place, were later moved to a safer location after the police arranged a prison van for them.
This incident follows a recent statement by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) which highlighted a “growing trend of mob-led attacks on homes of families belonging to religious minorities, as well as their places of worship.”
Their report, “Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023-24,” also noted the “increasing weaponisation of blasphemy laws against Ahmadis,” arbitrary detentions, desecration of graves, and the vulnerability of Hindu and Christian women to forced conversion. The report documented at least four faith-based killings in the past year, three of which targeted the Ahmadi community. A key finding was that disinformation on social media often triggered blasphemy cases.
The original post can be read HERE.