Ahmadi Community Under Siege: Sectarian Tensions Rise in Karachi

Six Ahmadi community members were arrested in Karachi after police initially provided protective custody following threats from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The Ahmadi community, a religious minority in Pakistan, faces increasing persecution from right-wing religious groups, raising significant human rights concerns.

In a tense development over the weekend, six members of the minority Ahmadi community were taken into custody by police in Karachi. This comes after the police had earlier provided them with protective custody due to threats from the sectarian politico-religious Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party.

The police intervention followed TLP activists gathering outside the Ahmadis' place of worship in Surjani town, attempting to prevent them from offering Friday prayers. A senior police official confirmed the arrests were made based on a complaint from a TLP activist.

The Ahmadi community, numbering approximately 500,000 in Pakistan, has frequently faced persecution, notably in Punjab province. With the community officially declared 'non-Muslim' in 1974, Ahmadis often practice their religious rituals in closed spaces to avoid violence from right-wing protesters, who have previously destroyed their worship sites.

(With inputs from agencies.)