Home Critical Analysis/Archives Report on Punjab Disturbances of 1953

THE ‘EHSAN’

The ‘Ehsan’ of 21st July published an appeal by the Majlis-i-Amal of All Muslim Parties Convention advising the people to remain peaceful despite provocation by the Mirzais and requesting the imams of mosques to advise their congregations on next Friday to abstain from creating any disorder. The appeal pointed out that the demands relating to the declaration of the Ahmadis as a minority and for the removal of Chaudhri Zafrullah Khan were constitutional demands which should be pressed in an atmosphere free from breaches of the law.

The issue of 3rd August published a report of resolutions passed in different mosques on Friday the 1st August supporting the stand taken by the All Muslim Parties Convention and expressing the determination to keep the movement peaceful and urging an acceptance of the demands. The speeches made in the mosques also appreciated the resolution of the Punjab Muslim League in which the Mirzais were held to be non-Muslims but expressed dissatisfaction with that part of the resolution in which the demand to declare the Mirzais as a minority was not accepted. The article also published the alarming news that a letter threatening to kill Maulana Abul Hasanat, Maulana Maudoodi, Sayyad Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari., Maulana Ahmad Ali and Maulana Muslim had been received.

The issue of 8th August, 1952, contained an article on ‘Qadiani Nubuwwat’ by Sayyad Faqir Husain Bukhari, M, A., B. T., Professor, Islamia College, criticising Ahmadiya beliefs and promising another outstanding article on the subject in the next issue.

The issue of 10th August contained a leading article in violent denunciation of the Ahmadiya Jama’at and Chaudhri Zafrullah Khan, in which it was sought to prove that the Qadianis were a real danger to Pakistan and that they were not members of the Muslim community, it also contained news that Khwaja Nazim-ud-Din had promised to announce in his Pakistan Day speech on 14th August the acceptance of the demands against the Mirzais and the people were impatiently waiting for this historical announcement.

The issue of 18th August contained a comment on the Prime Minister’s speech on the Pakistan Day, and expressed disappointment on his omission to make any reference to the question of Mirzaeeat which had become a real internal danger in Pakistan. It also appreciated the communique issued by the Government of Pakistan declaring that no Central or Provincial Minister was to preach sectarian doctrines to his subordinates, and deprecated the disorders, processions and public meetings that were being held against the Mirzais and suggested that the issue should be placed in a constitutional manner before the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan and in the form of a resolution before the Council of All Pakistan Muslim League that was about to meet at Dacca.

The issue of 31st January, 1953, published a review on a book ‘Qadiani Fitna’ written by one Atiq-ur-Rahman Chishti. It was alleged in the comments on that book that Mirzaeeat had been deliberately implanted by the British, that it was devastating Islam and that the book exposed false doctrines of a murtadd sect and depicted a disgraceful picture of the character of the false prophet of that sect. Similarly the issue of 5th February published a one-column review on Professor Ilyas Burney’s book ‘Qadiani Mazhab’ which was in fact an original comment on Qadiani doctrines.