Three Ahmadi youths were critically injured late Thursday night when an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on a security volunteers’ vehicle outside the Bait-ul-Aqsa place of worship in Rabwah (Chenab Nagar), according to a statement by the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson.
Two of the injured remain in critical condition. The victims have been identified as 23-year-old Waqas Ahmed, 30-year-old Bilal Ahmed, and 39-year-old Abdul Jabbar. They were immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors conducted emergency surgery. Local residents arrived in large numbers to donate blood to assist treatment efforts.
According to eyewitness accounts cited in the statement, the attacker—his face and head covered in cloth—opened fire while the volunteers’ vehicle was stationed at an intersection outside the place of worship as part of routine security duties. The gunman then fled the scene on a motorcycle towards College Road in Rabwah.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and authorities have not yet issued details regarding arrests or identification of suspects.
Amir Mahmood, spokesperson of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan, strongly condemned the attack, calling it a continuation of what he described as rising insecurity for Ahmadis in Rabwah. He said this was the second such attack in the city within recent months.
He referred to an earlier incident on Friday, October 10, 2025, when six Ahmadis were injured in a firing incident outside the Bait-ul-Mahdi place of worship. He also noted that security agencies had issued a threat alert around the Eid al-Adha period, warning of possible terrorist activity in Rabwah.
The spokesperson further alleged that a sustained campaign of hate speech, propaganda, and calls for social and economic boycott against Ahmadis has contributed to an increasingly hostile environment. He said such narratives include one-sided allegations about Ahmadi beliefs and, in some cases, fatwas that incite violence.
He added that Ahmadis do not feel safe anywhere in Pakistan, including Rabwah, and expressed concern over the broader pattern of violence. He also pointed to a previous incident in Sargodha last year in which three Ahmadis were killed and one injured, noting that the alleged perpetrator has not yet been arrested.
The community has urged authorities to immediately curb hate-based campaigns, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and strengthen protection measures for Ahmadis across Pakistan.