ISLAMABAD: A pre-Partition place of worship of the minority Ahmadi community was completely demolished by the local administration in Punjab’s Sialkot district, Pakistani media reported on Saturday.
The place was built by Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan, Pakistan’s first foreign minister and an Ahmadi by faith, in his native town of Daska, Sialkot. A renowned lawyer in British India, he was a crucial champion for the Ahmadi cause in significant trials.
This historical structure was razed on Jan 16, two days after local authorities claimed that an extension of the structure was illegal as it encroached 13 feet onto a public road, a claim rejected by community members.
Despite this, Amir Mahmood, spokesperson for the marginalised community, said they had complied with the govt notice and a wall was constructed on the inner side on Jan 15, but the area’s assistant commissioner, accompanied by police, proceeded with the demolition the next day and flattened the entire structure. “It is clear that using the illegal encroachments as an excuse, the administration targeted and demolished the Ahmadi community’s place of worship,” Mahmood said, adding the structure had not been altered or extended since its original construction by Khan’s family before Partition. He blamed the local administration for continuously targeting the community’s properties and ignoring their grievances.
The operation lasted from 7pm until 11pm, and electricity to the place of worship and neighbouring areas was also cut off. The action was not strictly administrative as during the entire time, locals said, a number of people had gathered chanting provocative slogans against the persecuted community. This was the latest in a series of actions targeting Ahmadis. According to data, at least 22 of their places of worship were destroyed across Punjab in 2024.
