On the night of the 16th of January 2025, a historic Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Daska, Punjab, was ruthlessly demolished by Pakistani authorities. This mosque, built before 1947 under the patronage of Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, was a landmark of immense historical and cultural significance. Its destruction, carried out under the cover of darkness using bulldozers and heavy machinery, has sent shockwaves through the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and human rights defenders worldwide.
A Calculated Attack
The demolition of the Daska mosque was not an isolated event but rather part of a broader, systematic effort to erase Ahmadi Muslim identity in Pakistan. Ahmadi Muslim, who are declared non-Muslims by Pakistan’s constitution, are denied their fundamental right to self-identify as Muslims and face deep-seated discrimination with state institutions often complicit in their persecution.
The authorities acted under pressure from extremist groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and Khatme Nabuwwat, both of which openly incite hatred and violence against Ahmadi Muslims. These groups have consistently pushed for harsher measures against Ahmadi Muslims, and in recent years, attacks on Ahmadi Muslim mosques have intensified.
Additionally, radical clerics and leaders have openly incited violence against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, issuing threats of beheading, public hangings, and systematic killings. Asim Ishfaq Rizwi warned, In May 2024, during a rally in Jhelum, Pakistan, that “If any Qadiani [a derogatory term for Ahmadi Muslims] tries to sacrifice even one animal on Eid, then in Jhelum we’ll hang the Qadianis.” In September 2022, Muhammad Naeem Chattha Qadri delivered a speech in Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan, where he called for attacks on pregnant Ahmadi mothers to “ensure that no new Ahmadis are born,” adding, “Those babies who are being born should be killed.” In September 2023, a video posted by Mufti Muhammad Mukhtar Ali Al-Haidari on facebook, showed him incite further hatred, declaring, “We have to strangle each and every Qadiani… Raise the slogan here, and a Qadiani will die in Great Britain.” These statements reflect extreme hate speech, directly inciting violence and persecution against the peace-loving and patriotic Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
A Pattern of Violence
Human rights defenders have noted an alarming trend in Pakistan, where Ahmadi Muslim mosques have increasingly become targets. In the past few years: More than 50 Ahmadi Muslim mosques have been attacked or demolished, hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims have been murdered shamelessly, simply for their faith, and over 421 Ahmadi Muslim graves have been desecrated since 2021. These actions are driven by a dangerous ideology that seeks to erase the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from public life. The Daska incident adds to this as a stark example of state-backed persecution, where even historic places of worship are not spared.
The mosque demolition of then contravened a 2023 judgment by Justice Tariq Saleem Shaikh of the Lahore High Court, who explicitly stated that the provisions of the 1984 Anti-Ahmadi laws do not authorise the demolition or alteration of religious buildings that existed before the enactment of these laws. This ruling underscores that any action taken to destroy these mosques lacks legal legitimacy and is therefore a criminal act in itself.
By allowing such acts of intolerance, Pakistan risks furthering destabilisation and damage to its international reputation. The country is signatory to multiple international human rights treaties, yet its actions contradict its commitments to religious freedom and minority rights.
The international community cannot afford to remain silent in the ace of such blatant injustice and must take a stand against this injustice before more lives, communities, and places of worship are lost. Pakistan needs to succeed and end such extremism and injustice in the first step.
The original post can be read HERE.