Lahore: Members of Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi community are being coerced by police into signing affidavits pledging not to perform animal sacrifice rituals during Eid-ul-Adha, a community organisation has alleged. According to Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP), Ahmadis are prohibited from carrying out qurbani, the ritual animal sacrifice central to the festival, even within their own homes, with police threatening action against those who do.
This demand follows a call by the Lahore High Court Bar Association for the Punjab police to prevent the Ahmadi community from observing Eid rituals and to take strict measures against any violations. The JAP condemned these moves, describing them as a blatant violation of religious freedom and constitutional rights. They accused Punjab government officials of harassing Ahmadis across districts in Punjab and parts of Sindh, stating that such coercion is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and inhumane.
The community alleges that these restrictions are imposed to appease extremist groups such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), with authorities depriving Ahmadis of their lawful rights. The JAP has urged the government to immediately halt this unlawful practice.
Pakistan’s constitutional and legal framework further complicates the situation for Ahmadis. Though Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, Pakistan’s Parliament declared them non-Muslims in 1974. Subsequent laws banned them from identifying as Muslims and practicing several Islamic rites. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed grave concern over the recent developments, stating that the Bar Association’s letter and the requirement for affidavits undermine Ahmadis’ constitutional right to freedom of religion under Article 20, as well as their right to equal citizenship. The HRCP warned that such institutionalised discrimination emboldens extremist groups to enforce a de facto ban on the community’s freedom of movement and public participation.
Police have admitted that affidavits were taken from certain Ahmadi community members following complaints from groups like the TLP, who object to Ahmadis performing Islamic rituals during Eid-ul-Adha.
The HRCP has called on the Lahore High Court Bar Association to retract its letter and urged the Punjab government to instruct local authorities to protect the Ahmadi community, especially at a time when they face heightened risks of vigilantism. The Ahmadi community remains vulnerable to extremist violence, particularly from TLP, which openly targets them with impunity across Pakistan.
Recent attacks underline this vulnerability. In early May, a senior Ahmadi doctor was reportedly shot dead in Punjab province. Later that month, nearly 100 Ahmadi graves were desecrated in the same region. Across Pakistan, many Ahmadi places of worship have been repeatedly attacked by TLP activists. In some instances, police—under pressure from religious extremists—have demolished minarets and arches and removed sacred inscriptions from these sites.
As Eid-ul-Adha approaches on Saturday, the ongoing suppression of Ahmadi religious practices highlights persistent challenges faced by the community amid rising extremist intolerance in Pakistan.
With PTI inputs