23 Ahmadis arrested for offering Friday prayers in Pakistan
What's the story
Twenty-three members of the Ahmadi community were arrested in Daska, Sialkot, Punjab province of Pakistan for offering Friday prayers. Police were tipped off about 27 Ahmadis offering "juma" prayers at private premises. Police officer Muhammad Tanzeel said, "Ahmadis' prayer leader Arshad Sahi was giving Friday sermon and was reading Islamic verses and other Ahmadis were listening to him." Consequently, an FIR was registered under section 298 C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which criminalizes self-identification as Muslims by Ahmadis.
Legal background
Ahmadi community's legal status and recent persecution
Though the Ahmadi community considers itself Muslim, Pakistan's Parliament declared them non-Muslim in 1974. A decade later, laws further prevented them from publicly practicing elements of Islam. The Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan condemned the recent police action, saying "a group of Ahmadis had gathered for worship within private premises in Daska as per routine." They said religious extremists gathered outside their place of worship, chanting provocative slogans.
Detention details
Extremist pressure leads to detention of Ahmadis
The police action against the Ahmadis is reportedly the handiwork of the radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. The Ahmadis, seeing the presence of extremists, had called the police for help. But instead of ensuring their safety, 23 members including 11 and 14-year-old children were detained and shifted to City Police Station in Daska. Later, religious extremists gathered outside this station demanding legal action against those detained.
Court proceedings
Detained Ahmadis presented before magistrate
Under pressure from extremist groups, the police registered a case and produced the detained Ahmadis before a magistrate. The magistrate then sent them to Sialkot Central Jail on judicial remand. Condemning the incident, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya spokesperson Aamir Mahmood highlighted the ongoing persecution against Ahmadis. He said even private worship is now being denied due to rising extremist pressure.