Blasphemy-Accused ‘Ex-Ahmadi’ Man Gunned Down In Peshawar Courtroom
An ex-Ahmadi man was gunned down in a courtroom in Peshawar over blasphemy charges that he had been facing for two years.
According to the spokesperson of the Ahmadiyya community, Tahir Ahmad was not a member of the community. “It is being reported that he was Ahmadi, which is not true. He was born Ahmadi but left the community many years ago,” said Saleemuddin.
In a tragic incident today a man was shot dead in front of a judge in Peshawar. It is being reported that he was Ahmadi, which is not true. He was born Ahmadi but left the community many years ago. /1
— Saleem ud Din (@SaleemudDinAA) July 29, 2020
The victim suffered from mental health problems, initial reports suggested, and died on the spot from the bullet wounds.
The suspect, a reported graduate of a seminary, has been arrested by the police, but it is still unclear how he had taken the gun inside the courtroom. Speaking about the murder, he said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came ‘to his dream and asked him to shoot this man’.
The Ahmadiyya community of Pakistan was declared non-Muslim by the then Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government and has been persecuted ever since. Recently, the decision to include Ahmadis in the National Commission for Minorities was reversed after considerable backlash.
Ministry of Religious Affairs had been directed to ensure the presence of Ahmadis in the National Commission for Minorities.
Religious intolerance is becoming deep-rooted in our society. The mindless glorification of Khalid Khan, who shot dead blasphemy accused Tahir Ahmed, is really shocking though not the first incidence over the past three decades. The religious hardliners turned Khalid Khan into a hero and people in our country don’t seem to be moved on the brutal killing of an unarmed elderly man. Very sad! How long this intolerance will keep the better sense under lockdown is a big question to ponder on?
Nayador being a new digital media platform aiming to inform and educate Pakistanis can effectively promote religious tolerance and living in peace with others, which is a need of time as religious intolerance is becoming deep-rooted in our society, leaving religious minorities facing harassment, violence, and threat for life.