Mob attack over alleged blasphemy: Three Ahmadis killed in Gujranwala
By Agencies
Updated 8 minutes ago
— File photo
— File photo
GUJRANWALA: Three female members of the Ahmadi community, including two minors, were killed late Sunday and four others were severely injured when an angry mob attacked and burnt five houses over alleged blasphemy, a report published on the BBC Urdu website said.

Those killed in the attack include a 55-year-old woman Bashiran, a minor girl Kainat and 7-year-old girl Hira.

The injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital and their condition is said to be critical.

The BBC Urdu report quoted Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the People’s Colony Circle as saying that the trouble started with an allegedly blasphemous post on Facebook by an Ahmadi youth, following which the mob began protesting and eventually attacked and damaged homes belonging to members of the Ahmadi community.

“Later, a crowd of 150 people came to the police station demanding the registration of a blasphemy case against the accused,” said another police officer who declined to be identified. “As police were negotiating with the crowd, another mob attacked and started burning the houses of Ahmadis.”

The youth accused of making the Facebook post had not been injured, he said.

Police official Zeeshan Siddiqi said the victims died of suffocation and that a woman miscarried during the riots and was being provided medical treatment.

Salimuddin, a spokesman for the Ahmadi community, said it was the worst attack on the community since simultaneous attacks on Ahmadi places of worship killed 86 Ahmadis four years ago.

“Police were there but just watching the burning. They didn’t do anything to stop the mob,” he said. “First they looted their homes and shops and then they burnt the homes.”

According to police and eyewitnesses, there were seven to eight houses of the Ahmadi community in the vicinity. However, following the violence all Ahmadi families in the area managed to flee.

Ahmadis have been arrested in Pakistan for reading the Holy Quran, holding religious celebrations and having Quranic verses on rings or wedding cards. Four years ago, 86 Ahmadis were killed in two simultaneous attacks in Lahore.

Also read: Persecuted Ahmadis seek shelter in China

Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law does not clearly define blasphemy but says the offence is punishable by death. Anyone can file a blasphemy case claiming their religious feelings are injured for any reason.

The accused are often lynched, and lawyers and judges defending or acquitting them have been attacked. Rights groups say the laws are increasingly used to seize money or property.

Two politicians who suggested reforming the law were killed, one by his own bodyguard. Lawyers showered the killer with rose petals when he came to court.

The number of accusations is rising, according to a 2012 study by the Islamabad-based think tank, the Center for Research and Security Studies. In 2001, there was only one such complaint, but in 2011 there were 80. No more recent figures are available but 2014 looks set to be a record.

In May 2014, 68 lawyers were charged with blasphemy for using the name ‘Umar’ in protest slogans against a police official of the same name.

In the same month, prominent human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman defending a Pakistani university professor accused of blasphemy was shot and killed after being threatened in court by other lawyers.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1122143/mob-attack-over-alleged-blasphemy-four-ahmadis-killed-in-gujranwala