Home Monthly Newsreports January, 2006

Tando Adam, District Sanghar, Sindh: At the complaint of mullah Ahmad Mian Hamadi, the Convener of the Action Committee of the Protection of the End of Prophethood Association (Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nabuwwat), Sindh, the District Police Officer Sanghar told Police Station Tando Adam to register a case under all the three clauses of the Blasphemy law PPC 295A, 295B and 295C as also the Ahmadi-specific law PPC 298C, against the Supreme Head of Ahmadiyya Community (now residing in London) and four others namely Ms Amat ur Rashid the essay-writer and Messrs Mirza Khalil Ahmad Qamar the editor, Sheikh Khurshid Ahmad the publisher and Sultan Ahmad the printer, all of the women’s magazine, the monthly Misbah. Under the imposed clauses of the PPC, the accused could be given death sentence and also imprisonment for life. The law provides for the trial to be held in a Special Court under the Anti-terrorism law. The FIR is numbered 04/06, and is dated January 5, 2006.

The basis on which this case was registered is grotesque, even bizarre. It is expressive of the mindset of the mullah, the collaboration of the authorities and the absurdity of the law. The FIR records the grievances of the complainant mullah as follows (extracts):

The mullah went crazy centuries ago, but for a DPO in this country of ’enlightened moderation’ of 21st century to tow his line makes no sense. In fact, in this, he is most probably supported by his superiors and the system. Perhaps the mullah told him that he has no legal option but to register the case. This shows the futility of the much trumpeted Amendment of 2004 to the procedure of handling the Blasphemy cases. It is probable that the authors of the Amendment designed it as such, to hoodwink the protesting world and to simultaneously maintain deadly poisonous fangs of this law. The registration of this case also reveals the very thin coating of the ‘enlightened moderation’ on the establishment, under which it remains plastered with thick coats of extremist emulsion. What else can be expected of a political establishment that calls MMA its ‘natural ally’?

Also, whither the Freedom of Press! Or, is it that it is also selective and discriminatory; and not available to Ahmadis?

Mr Muhammad Iqbal, Ahmadi of Faisalabad and Mr Mansur Hussain of Hafizabad are now undergoing prison sentences for life on charge of Blasphemy, on grounds as flimsy as this case; in fact their cases were fabricated, and false witnesses were paraded in the courts in support of prosecution to ensure conviction. Their appeals now lie with Lahore High Court, awaiting redress; while Mr. Iqbal is now in the third year of his undeserved incarceration. Is their some decency around to come to their rescue?

Rabwah; January 8, 2006: The police registered a case under PPC 298C and 16 MPO against Mr. Muhammad Latif Butt son of Mr. Imam Din, and arrested him. The FIR no. 21/06 was registered at Police Station Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) on the orders of no other than the District Police Officer himself, accusing Mr Butt of preaching.

The FIR mentions that Mr Butt is 65, married, and has three sons and five daughters. It also conveys that he was an ardent activist of Jamaat Islami and Ahle Hadith denomination up to 1973, but became an Ahmadi in 1974 (the year of extensive anti-Ahmadi riots). He is now the prayer leader in Rahman Colony mosque and is a Secretary of (local) Jamaat Ahmadiyya. He sends written literature by post and e-mail to the respected Ulama (Ulama Karam) wherein he states that according to Islamic theology, it is not correct that Prophet Isa was lifted physically to the sky; the Quran as well as common sense tell us that all those who are born, die and depart, so Ahmadiyya doctrine (of Prophet Isa’s death) is the truth, while Muslims of all the 57 countries are in error etc.

It is noteworthy that the complainant in this case is not one of the ’respected ulema’; it is the District Police Officer Jhang of this country that claims to be the standard bearer of ‘enlightened moderation’.

Jhelum: The president of the Ahmadiyya Community of Mahmud Abad received a lengthy printed letter that raised a number of theological issues (no objection to that), but then indulged in mockery and insult to the holy founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. It instigates Ahmadis against their leadership and employs calumny, slander and vulgarity. It gives the website address of its compilers.

In addition to the above, they have circulated a pamphlet that exhorts people to boycott all products and services by Ahmadi proprietors, in particular Shezan, Zaiqa, Shahtaj Sugar and OCS. It exhorts the readers to kill all claimants to prophecy, and urges them to play their part in extermination of this great evil by the suggested commercial boycott. It concludes:

Note: The authorities do not have to indulge in tiresome investigations to locate the centre of extremists; they are bold and carefree enough to advertise their address.

The Jhelum chapter of the Khatme Nabuwwat Organization has undertaken various other means to propagate sectarian hatred. They have printed glossy colorful stickers and distributed them. One of them, for instance, conveys:

Jaura, District Qasur: For the last few weeks, anti-Ahmadi activists have agitated the peace of Jaura, as also of the Adda Nurpur Nehr. Ahmadis reported the matter to senior officers of the police department, who took suitable action to deter these activists from making the situation any worse. These elements then contacted their mentors, the district leaders of the Khatme Nabuwwat organization, who, in league with mullahs from Multan, made a plan to hold anti-Ahmadi rallies in the area. The police were informed and they took preventive action by switching off sound amplifiers of the two mosques at Adda Nurpur Nehr. The police warned the agitation leaders namely, Javed Gill, Haleem Yusuf, Sabir Shah, Sheikh Riaz etc to desist from creating a law and order situation. These activists, however, still indulged in harassment of individual Ahmadis here and there, but on the whole the situation has remained under control — till now, at least.

Burewala, District Vehari: Hafiz Abdul Latif, an Ahmadi oldster was subjected to harassment here by unknown persons. Someone knocked at his door late at night on 14/15 January. When the Hafiz arrived at the gate, the miscreant went away. Four unknown persons came over the next day at about sunset time and demanded that the door be opened. The door was bolted from inside; Hafiz’s wife noticed that a man tried to climb over the northern outer wall to enter their house. When he was challenged, he fled. On 17th January, two persons arrived on a motor cycle. They met the Hafiz in the street and inquired about Sakina Latif. He told them that he himself was Latif. At this, the unknown individuals hurriedly went away. These incidents have caused concern in the local Ahmadiyya community, and their president has made special arrangements for personal security of the old couple.

Citizens of Rabwah have serious complaints about the neglect of their town by city officials and higher authorities, and they have repeatedly brought these to the notice of all those who matter in the land. Even in these monthly reports, a mention has been made often of these conditions that deserve urgent attention. In the report for the month of May 2005, having described the story of ‘Deplorable situation of civic services at Rabwah’ it was opined that “The situation can lead to any urban catastrophe like outbreak of disease or threat to peace etc.” (A copy of these reports is regularly provided to the authorities in Islamabad). Regrettably, the government took no notice of the alert, and now, the citizens of Rabwah have to bear the consequences. The daily Aman, Faisalabad of January 20, 2005 reported the happening in 3-column headlines:

There are numerous Khatme Nabuwwat (End of the Prophethood) organizations in the country that pose as purely religious associations and thereby enjoy all the privileges and freedom in this guise. Authorities give them the permission, even support, to operate at will, and these undertake hostile and highly provocative propaganda against Ahmadiyya community. However, as their real agenda is political, they avail of the permissive attitude of the government to promote their political aim. Below, we reproduce some of their statements from the vernacular press in support of this hypothesis to show their real colors:

Note: It would be seen that Mr Qasimi puts on two hats, one of the JUI and the other of the Khatme Nabuwwat Movement. His other colleagues may do the same more discreetly, but they all openly use the stage of Khatme Nabuwwat to promote their national and international political agenda.

The daily Jang, Lahore in its issue of January 22, 2006 gave three stories that deserve notice and comment. It reported quoting its staff reporter at Sargodha:

In the second report it reported:

The question arises: If the government can conveniently take these reasonable precautionary measures for communal peace, what makes it violate its own policy, when it permits and facilitates dozens of rabid anti-Ahmadi ulama to congregate at Rabwah a number of times every year, e.g. last year on September 29 and 30, September 7, and April 22 and 23?

In another story the daily Jang reported the same day:

The mullah is thus demanding that the government of Pakistan should follow the footsteps of the Afghan government of 1903, when it ordered the death of Sahibzada Abdul Latif Shaheed, an Afghan divine and noble who became an Ahmadi and refused to recant. The Sahibzada was killed in a stadium by stoning in the presence of the king, his courtiers, the Ulama and a huge crowd. This mullah Allah Yar has the audacity to make such demands (and the Jang to publish them) when the Chief Minister of the Punjab has publicity declared his perception and policy: “Islam is a religion of understanding and tolerance. It clearly forbids people to impose their dogma upon others…. The government will not hesitate to bring such people to law who spread disorder in society through religion. Those who make provocative speeches should be pointed out….” Well, the Jang has pointed out one of them who is a persistent offender. It is very relevant to mention that this mullah was booked recently for his mischief but he was released only three days later. Three individuals stood surety for him for Rs.100,000 each that he will not make sectarian or anti-state speeches. This mullah thus treats with contempt the pronouncements of the high-ups and of the implementation potential of the authorities. It would be appropriate to hold his supporters and guarantors accountable for his repeated criminal conduct.

Journalism is a venerable profession that helps in promotion of understanding, mutual regard and tolerance among a people and thereby creates a society that is peaceful, loving, and united in creative and progressive endeavor to build a strong country where all communities are mindful of one another’s problems and are ever ready to solve them amicably. A country where such a society is established cannot be barred from attaining a high status in the comity of nations.

But unfortunately, some people in Pakistan undermined national interest at the alter of personal interest by promoting sectarianism and religious prejudice. They undertook journalism as a business rather than a mission, and spared pages of their newspapers to fan fires of prejudice and sectarianism. This added to the bottom line of their bank sheets, but it caused great problems for the country. Let alone the security of minorities’ places of worship, even mosques and Imambargahs are no longer safe in this country that was created in the fair name of Islam. Citizens here are now obliged to worship under the protection of firearms. In this situation, newspapers should have acted responsibly and promoted national Unity, but regrettably the vernacular press has opted otherwise.

During the year 2005 also, it was routine and normal that some Urdu newspapers continued to print anti-Ahmadiyya statements and news in banner headlines. They were not mindful at all of the veracity of these statements. Often they were reluctant in publication of rebuttals.

At the end of the year it is assessed that in only those newspapers that are published at Lahore, a provincial capital, 1379 anti-Ahmadi news items were published. The daily Nawa-i-Waqt (Chief Editor: Majeed Nizami) took a major lead in this abject campaign by printing 287 news items (a news every two days out of three). The daily Pakistan and Jang stood second (Chief Editors: Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami and Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman respectively); others did not lag far behind.

The statements and news generally comprised:

1. Hateful and provocative accusations
2. Urging Muslims to murder Ahmadis
3. Demanding Shariah punishment (of death) for apostates (Ahmadis, by implication)
4. Accusing the government of providing support to Ahmadis, thereby coercing it to take anti-Ahmadiyya measures
5. Asserting that Ahmadis are not loyal to Pakistan, and are enemies of Islam
6. Accusing Ahmadis of having a hand in whatever is wrong anywhere in the world
7. Disinformation about fissures in the Ahmadiyya community
8. These newspapers provided media-support to the mullah in his intensive campaign to propagate/promote:
   1. Fake reports on Ahmadis’ alleged subversive activities in Rabwah
   2. Discrimination against Ahmadis in sale of residential plots
   3. Obstacles in normal business activities for Ahmadis
   4. Prejudice and restrictions against Ahmadis in government service
   5. A campaign against building government offices near Rabwah
   6. Prejudiced and sectarian attitude in the field of education etc.

A glimpse of such reporting is available in Chapter 12 of our annual report. Ahmadiyya office has learnt to live with this propaganda onslaught, however occasionally it undertakes to refute the most outrageous and false accusations through press releases, but the Urdu Press is usually very reluctant to print these, except on rare occasions when it allocates single-column one inch space to such rebuttals.

Ahmadi representatives contacted the press lords, and protested on such media coverage, to which their sole reply was: We only reproduce statements; as for their veracity, that is beyond us. Do the journalistic ethics permit publication of hate-promoting statements, without inquiring into their authenticity? Also should the media not first look into the status and reputation of these rabble-rousers before allotting them space? The press should pay heed, at least, to the ethics devised by the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, that reads as follows:

• (T)he news should be factual and just.
• Avoid printing material that promotes hatred and makes false accusation against any community, group or individual.
• Newspapers should not publish anything that generates hatred among various sections of the society.

Rabwah; January 26, 2006: 34 Ahmadis’ cases were due to be heard today at Chiniot in the court of Mr Mustahsan Ahsan Minhas, the Civil Judge, Chiniot. No proceedings took place; the next date given is March 2, 2006 for hearing.

1.

Mr. Muhammad Iqbal was awarded life imprisonment in a fabricated case of blasphemy. He was arrested in March 2004, and is now incarcerated in the Central Jail, Faisalabad. An appeal now lies with the Lahore High Court against the decision of the Sessions Court. The case was registered against Mr. Iqbal under FIR 73/04 on March 23, 2004 at Police Station Tarkhani, District Faisalabad, Punjab.

2.

Three Ahmadis namely Messrs. Basharat, Nasir Ahmad and Muhammad Idrees along with 7 others of Chak Sikandar were arrested in September 2003 on false charge of murder of a mullah, at the complaint of Ahmadi-bashers. The police, after due investigation found nothing against all these accused. Still the innocent faced a ‘complaint trial’ for a crime they did not commit. ased on the unreliable testimony of the two alleged eye-witnesses (who were proven false in the court) the court acquitted seven of the accused, but on the evidence of the same two liars the court sentenced these above-named three innocent Ahmadis to death. They are lodged in death cell at Gujrat Jail, while their plea for justice lies with the Lahore High Court. It is now over two years and four months that they are in prison. They were booked under FIR 455/03 dated September 4, 2003 at Police Station Kharian Sadar, District Gujrat.

3.	Mr Mansur Ahmad was recently awarded imprisonment for life for allegedly burning some pages of a time-worn copy of the Holy Quran.

4.	Three Ahmadis are in prison in District Bahawalpur on fabricated charge of blasphemy.

441,565 enrolled in Punjab madrassahs. The News, Lahore; January 3, 2006

‘Enlightened moderation’ is no more than a pair of words flung at us every day, but we see little evidence of it on the ground. Khalid Hasan in The Friday Times of January 13-19, 2006

We must deal with extremism………Extremism spawns terrorism, said general Musharraf The Dawn, January 30 , 2006

Governance is weakest link. — Dr Mubashir Hasan The Dawn, January 30, 2006

American bombing in Bajaur is open aggression. — Qari Shabbir Usmani (Chief Organizer of the International Khatme Nabuwwat Movement The daily Jinnah, Lahore; December 5, 2005

41 Ulama including Maulana Fazlur Rahman (of MMA), Sajid Naqvi and Hafiz Saeed barred from entering Toba Tek Singh for 3 months. The daily Jang, January 25, 2006

Miscreants who spread disorder in the name of religion will be subjected to law. Writers, publishers and presses involved in production of sectarian hate-promoting literature will be severely dealt with. — The Chief Minister Punjab The daily Khabrain, January 25, 2006

Countrywide anti-Ahmadiyya conferences will be held. — Maulana Ghulam Mustafa (of the Almi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat, Chenab Nagar) The Daily Jang; January 25, 2006

445 Ulema barred from entry into Sargodha Division. The daily Jang, January 22, 2006

We shall throw filth at participants of the Mixed Marathon. — MMA We shall oppose the Basant as well. — Amirul Azim (JI), Saifuddin, Bashr Nazami and other leaders’ press conference. The daily Jang, January 18, 2006

Annual Conference at Rabwah of the Ahmadiyya Community postponed for lack of permission by the government. The daily Jang, January 18, 2006

Chenab Nagar: Hepatitis rampant. Hundreds are afflicted by the terrible disease. The Aman, Faisalabad; January 20, 2006

Chenab Nagar goes dark. System of street lights packs up. Dacoits have a field day. College Rd, Sahiwal Rd, Rajeki Rd, Yadgar rd and Rehman Colony Rd affected. The Daily Express, January 18, 2006

Increase in robberies and thefts at Chenab Nagar. Police not concerned The Daily Pakistan; January 16, 2006

Qadianis schools fail to write Non-Muslim on their sign boards. They should be forced to write ‘Qadiani Non-Muslim’, as they pose to be Muslims. The EDO (Education) who does not enforce orders should be fired. — Maulvi Faqir Muhammad demands. The Daily Aman, Faisalabad,; January 17, 2006

Qadianis are bent upon destruction of peace at Chiniot. They produce photographs of their religious leaders and sell them. — Maulana Allah Yar Arshad, Qari Shabbir Usmani and Qari Yamin Gauhar. The Daily Aman, Faisalabad; January 17, 2006

Chiniot: People angry over construction of Qadiani place of worship The unconstitutional building should be demolished to placate the common man. — Ulama address Friday congregations The Daily Jinnah; January 14, 2006

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