A 61-year-old Ahmadi man facing threats due to his faith was gunned down in Peshawar's Dabgari Gardens locality on Thursday.
Recently, Meraj Ahmed, who owned a medical store in the area, had approached the Federal Investigation Agency with a complaint that he and his brother were facing an 'online hate campaign' because of their Ahmedi faith. However, it seems that before the FIA could apprehend the suspects, Meraj was killed as a result of the hate campaign.
The minority community has remained a target of radical Muslims ever since the creation of Pakistan. The persecution had amplified after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then prime minister, amended the constitution to declare them 'non-Muslims'.
Last month, an ex-Ahmadi man was shot dead inside a courtroom in Peshawar over allegations of blasphemy. The murderer was greeted by certain lawyers, politicians and police officials as a 'hero' for killing an alleged blasphemer.
Ahead of Eidul Azha, Lahore High Court Bar Association had urged the government to act against the Ahmedi people who were observing sacrificing ritual, saying that the ritual was in violation of Section 298-B and 1973 constitution.
In Gujranwala, locals with the help of the police desecrated graves belonging to the members of the Ahmediyya community. Moreover, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri had said that anyone in Pakistan sympathising with the Ahmadiyya community could never be loyal to the country and Islam.
The minister in his interview to journalist Nadeem Malik on his show commented on the government’s recent decision to exclude Ahmadis from National Commission for Minorities. “I believe Ahmadis can’t be treated as other non-Muslims. And anyone who has a soft corner for them [Ahmadis] can never be loyal to Islam and Pakistan,” the federal minister had said.
Recently, Meraj Ahmed, who owned a medical store in the area, had approached the Federal Investigation Agency with a complaint that he and his brother were facing an 'online hate campaign' because of their Ahmedi faith. However, it seems that before the FIA could apprehend the suspects, Meraj was killed as a result of the hate campaign.
The minority community has remained a target of radical Muslims ever since the creation of Pakistan. The persecution had amplified after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then prime minister, amended the constitution to declare them 'non-Muslims'.
Last month, an ex-Ahmadi man was shot dead inside a courtroom in Peshawar over allegations of blasphemy. The murderer was greeted by certain lawyers, politicians and police officials as a 'hero' for killing an alleged blasphemer.
Ahead of Eidul Azha, Lahore High Court Bar Association had urged the government to act against the Ahmedi people who were observing sacrificing ritual, saying that the ritual was in violation of Section 298-B and 1973 constitution.
In Gujranwala, locals with the help of the police desecrated graves belonging to the members of the Ahmediyya community. Moreover, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri had said that anyone in Pakistan sympathising with the Ahmadiyya community could never be loyal to the country and Islam.
The minister in his interview to journalist Nadeem Malik on his show commented on the government’s recent decision to exclude Ahmadis from National Commission for Minorities. “I believe Ahmadis can’t be treated as other non-Muslims. And anyone who has a soft corner for them [Ahmadis] can never be loyal to Islam and Pakistan,” the federal minister had said.