Mobs stormed a place of worship and demolished parts of it in the Ahmadi community of Sargodha district in Pakistan’s Punjab province
Post Date – 11:59 PM, Tuesday – 4/18/23
Islamabad: Media reports said a mob stormed a place of worship in the Ahmadi community in the Sargoda district of Pakistan’s Punjab province and demolished parts of it.
Local police were present at the time of the incident but made no attempt to stop the angry crowd, according to community spokesman Amir Mahmood, Tribune Express reported.
District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Kamran said a case was opened against the attacker after the police received a request on the matter. He added that the police would ensure strict enforcement of the law.
The community’s place of worship was established in 1905 in the village of Ghoghyat in Sargodha, and so far without incident, Tribune Express reported.
About 200 to 250 people arrived outside the place of worship around 11 p.m. on April 16, local police said. Police said some mob members covered their faces and shouted slogans.
According to the Express Tribune, some instigators climbed onto the roof and desecrated parts of the building, including the dome.
Ahmadi’s spokesman lamented that “the saddest thing” is the desecration of places of worship in the presence of police. He said the place of worship was “very old” and that the relationship between Ahmedis and other local residents had been exemplary.
He insisted the community had asked police to take legal action against the attackers, but feared their pleas would not be heeded and no action would be taken.
Prior to the incident, Qari Khalilur Rahman, the imam of the local mosque in Ghoghyat, had informed the police that children inside the Ahmadi place of worship were studying the Quran, which they could not legally do, the Express Tribune reported. .
A spokesman for the Sargoda district government said it was a sensitive issue that had been discussed at a district peace committee meeting.
The committee unanimously approved the installation of a notice board outside the place of worship indicating that the site is an Ahmadi place of worship.
