23 Ahmadiya Muslims arrested for offering Namaaz in Pakistan, police said- Islamic sentiments were hurt

23 people from the minority Ahmadiya community were arrested in Pakistan’s Punjab province. These people have been arrested on charges of offering ‘Friday Namaaz’, which is legally prohibited for them in Pakistan.

In fact, the police was informed by a call that 27 people from the Ahmadiya community were offering Jumma (Friday) Namaaz at the prayer place in Daska, Sialkot, which is about 100 kilometers away from Lahore.

Police officer gave information about the case

Police officer Mohammad Tanzil told news agency PTI, Ahmadiya community prayer leader Arshad Sahi was preaching on Friday (28 February) and reading verses related to Islam and the Ahmadi community people present on the spot were listening to him.

The police officer said, “As it hurt the sentiments of the local Muslims, the police registered an FIR against 27 Ahmadis under Section 298 C of the Pakistan Penal Code and 23 of them have been arrested.”

He further said that Section 298 C of the Pakistan Penal Code criminalizes Ahmadis who call themselves Muslims, who were declared non-Muslims by the Parliament of Pakistan in 1974. However, a decade later, they were not only banned from calling themselves Muslims but also from following any of the rituals of Islam.

JAP criticizes action against Ahmadi community

Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan (JAP) has strongly criticized the police action against innocent Ahmadi men and children. He said, “A group of Ahmadis had gathered for routine prayers at a private place in Daska. Shortly after this, a group of religious extremists gathered outside and started raising slogans.”

TLP behind action against Ahmadis

According to a PTI report, the radical Islamic party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was behind the police action against the Ahmadi community. The Ahmadi community also approached the police regarding this action. However, instead of providing them security, the police arrested 23 Ahmadis and sent them to the City Police Station in Daska. This also included several children aged between 11 and 14 years.

After this, JAP said that religious extremists gathered outside the police station and raised slogans and started demanding registration of cases against the detained Ahmadis. The police came under pressure from them and registered a case. After this, all 23 Ahmadis were produced before the magistrate, who sent them to Sialkot Central Jail on judicial remand.