Gunmen desecrate Ahmadi graves in Lahore
Pakistani news photographers take pictures of desecrated graves at the minority Ahmadi community graveyard in Lahore. -AFP Photo
LAHORE: Gunmen on Monday desecrated graves of Ahmadis in Lahore, members of the minority community said, in the latest act of intimidation and religious hatred against the beleaguered group.
More than a dozen masked men broke into an Ahmadi graveyard in the Model Town area of Lahore before dawn and after tying up the security guard and caretaker vandalised graves, community spokesman Salimud Din said.
The attackers shattered the tomb stones of about 120 graves and left, he said.
Din said police took no action after similar incidents a few months ago in the eastern city of Faisalabad and the central town of Lodhran.
“The government has failed to protect our human rights and Ahmadis’ life and property is not safe in Pakistan,” Din said.
Shahid Ataullah, a local Ahmadi elder, said the attackers came around 2:00am (2100 GMT) and threatened the guard and caretaker with “dire consequences” and said that they were annoyed because Islamic verses were engraved on the tombstones.
Ataullah told AFP that the attackers told the guards they were from militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Taliban, though there was no claim of responsibility.
Members of the community were discussing whether or not to lodge a formal complaint with police, he said.
“We are under lots of pressure and the objective seems to be to harass us,”Ataullah said.
Police said that they were not aware of the incident.
“There is no such thing in our knowledge. We will take action when someone files a report about the incident,” local police station chief Idrees Qureshi told AFP.
In May 2010, nearly 100 people were killed in Lahore after militants stormed two Ahmadi places of worship launching gun and grenade attacks.
Gunmen later raided the hospital where victims were being treated, killing four people in a shoot out.
What do you expect of a country where even the dead cannot sleep in peace.
And this is not BLASPHEMY…????????
Religions are all the same. They do more harm than good. Changing from Shia to Sunni to Ahmedi is like changing seats on a plane that is about to crash. Not going to do any good at all. They say that Allah is almighty, yet they behave as if he is weak. If Allah disapproved of Ahmedis he could open the ground under them and swallow them all off the face of the earth. But he doesn’t. Which may just mean that he is quite happy with who they are. Therefore, they have to take it upon themselves to do what Allah has failed to do, kill the Ahmedis themselves. This is the height of blasphemy.
“…Take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus does He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.” (Al-An`am 6: 151)
So true.
Religion has been used to abuse humanity time and again.
And it always works.
The only positive in this news is that no one was killed/hurt.
Very sad. I am nor Ahmedi but I condemn such act
No wonder they are coming to UK in flocks and get easy Asylam
jala hai jism jahan dil bhi jal gaya hoga
Kuraidtay ho jo ab raakh justajoo kya hai
Sometimes after hearing all these kind of news I ponder are they really from Islam? Desecration of graveyard is yet another and a very harsh crime and should be met with harsh punishment.
This is very un Islamic and shameful act done by Lashkar-e-Taiba. Grave Stones had quranic verses, does it not come under blasphemy by these so called Mulla’s(Lashkar-e-Taiba) ? We all should condemn these kind of activities by any group.
We all as a Pakistani nation, need to stand up and speak out, otherwise these so called Mulla’s will ruin the spirit of Holy Religion Islam.
This is terrible. I understand folks don’t have much to do in bad economy but at least spend your time wisely instead of destroying grave yards. Even a childish mind would not conceive of such ideas, this can only be the work of someone with a lot of time and hate.
There’s no limit of madness. When your dog get mad and bite his own master you shoot the dog, no mater how old and faithful he was…
“They were annoyed because Islamic verses were engraved on the tombstones”.
The way they shattered those tombstones does not show that they had any regard for the Islamic verses engraved on them. Savage hypocrisy!
Such degrading acts by certain group of Muslims gives a poor reflection of their beliefs. Just which school of thought encourages such behaviour. It is terribly upsetting to know people who call themselves Muslims would act or accept or remain silent on such deeds.
and has your highness’s investigation team established the religion of the miscreants as a known fact?
none of the minorities (religious, ethnic, sect. etc) is safe in Pakistan, hindu girls are being kidnapped and forcefully converted, churches and temples being destroyed, ahmadi, shia and bohri being killed in cold blood, baloch being kidnapped and killed !!! there has been a sheer failure from both the govt. to provide a long term solution to this worsening situation and security agencies to provide safety and security to minorities.
Reaping time
It says they broke the grave stones because it had Islamic writing on it. This is the same picture of islam at it’s beginning except now people who are destroying it are claiming to be the believers. A nation on its path for self destruction.
This is SO shameful!! The whole thing is to be condemned in the strongest terms!
The gift of Zia ul Haq…..Most of the Madarsas were the training ground for activities if not all.
This is not my Islam……
Now we need to find out, how to stop all such activities….otherwise it will make our country like Afghanistan.
Successive Pakistani governments have not been able to protect the living–how will they protect the dead. And shame on all of us who openly or secretly accept such outrages. Religious bigotry, extremism, and arrogance of self-styled ‘thakedars’ of Islam are destroying Pakistan and creating a negative image of a great religion amongst humanity. What did the grave attackers achieve?
It is a free for all . Any one can do any thing in this Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Today . It is Ahmadi grave yard today . Tomorrow it will be Shia grave yard . Next the Deobandi and other grave yards . What have we come to . Have we nothing better to do then bother the people who are no longer alive. What a shameful lot we have become. I feel so sad about this whole affair. We definitely are getting sicker and sicker in the mind . God help us.
Poor country. What has happened to our tolerance level? We even dont spare the deceased. Not sure should I be proud of this or really ashamed of myself.
Long live humanity & Islam, the religion of tolerance.
What a shameful act of vandals. Is it Islamic teachings to vandalised places of worship and graveyards? Why my Pakistan has become intolerent that they can;t tolerate a burried person who is harmless and helpless?. Where did we go wrong, Pakistan?
Pakistan went terribly wrong by keeping religion over not just country but humanity. Religion was always open for interpretation
and you, my dear, have you always been an apologist?
This is shameful and un Islamic. These people should be given exemplary punishment, but who will do so ? Not this weak and corrupt government.
Why do we leave everything to the government? In other words shift the blame to the government. Why can’t the people of Pakistan socially bycott such people and let them know that such acts will not be tolerated by the people of Pakistan.
yes youre right! where do they live so i can socially boycott them. i cant just boycott the air or the news of this happening or a call or email from an anonymous location. this is the govt’s responsibility!
This is inhuman,
Pathetic,where are we moving to.It is even needless to condemn such people and activities because acts originate from misguided people,but the government should protect these place with discrimination.
Can some one dare to explain the real teachings of Islam to these people?
A Muslim can do anything and claim Islam allows it.
why bother?
when their heads are filled with hot air and hatred?
what a disgrace
what shame
today no one and specially minorities are not safe from these terrorists
worse part is, after such atrocities instead of any sympathy towards Ahmedis the debate moves on Ahmedis being non-Muslims instead of condemning the atrocity & perpetrators
I think they are already following real teachings of Islam, unlike some other people who just sit in their rooms and preach their own teachings.
Your message is unclear. Is the questioned aimed at the Ahmadis or the gunmen?
Why don’t you try and explain it to us. So many claims of peace yet never an example.
please explain it to everyone here first. I dont think anyone understands as the verses can be interpreted in different ways and several verses contradict each other.
When the try, they get killed. But when was doing the right thing ever easy? Everyone has to rise up or be berried under ignorance.
it sad – this intolerance is sad. This is so so so so wrong. I apologise to Ahmediya community. Shame on all of us.
As an Ahmadi from Lahore currently living in USA. I say Inna lillahe wa Inna ellahe Raajeoon.
As a Pakistan & Muslim I apologise to the Ahmediya community and Thankyou Mr Hassan for encouraging people to the real teachings of Islam.