On 10 June, the Deputy Police Commissioner in the city of Chakwal, Qurat-ul-Ain Malik, ordered the detention of three members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Chakwal under section 3(1) of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1961.
The detained individuals include Malik Naveed Ahmad, the current president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in District Chakwal; Malik Riaz Ahmad, the former president of the same district; and Malik Tahir Ahmad, Secretary General Affairs of the district.
The victims were summoned for a meeting on 9 June with the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Station House Officer, and Assistant Commissioner, Choa Saidan Shah, regarding the upcoming Eid ul Adha festival.
The meeting was also attended by local resident’s hostile to the community, who applied immense pressure on the Ahmadi Muslim delegation to refrain from performing the ritual animal sacrifice during Eid. Despite being harassed and coerced to submit a surety bond prohibiting any Ahmadi Muslim in the district from performing the sacrifice, the Ahmadi Muslim representatives asserted that there is no legal prohibition against them performing this sacred rite.
Citing the recent Supreme Court judgement in the case of Tahir Naqash vs. The State, authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the Ahmadi Muslim delegation emphasised their right to practice their faith within the confines of their homes. Police officials however, dismissed the Supreme Court judgement and continued their demands. Following the meeting, while the complainants were allowed to leave, the members of the Ahmadi Muslim delegation were unlawfully detained for 30 days under section 3(1) of the MPO, 1961, and transferred to Jhelum Jail.
Source: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.