By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: A member of the persecuted Ahmadi community was killed by a mob in Karachi on Friday after supporters of the hardline religious party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) allegedly stormed a worship hall to disrupt religious rituals, police said.
The victim, identified by police as a 46-year-old businessman and active Ahmadi community member, was attacked while filming the mob near the hall in the city’s Saddar neighborhood, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said.
He died from severe head injuries caused by “hard and blunt impacts,” according to a police autopsy report.
Authorities said around 400 TLP supporters gathered outside the Ahmadiyya worship hall, demanding the minority halt its religious practices. Police and paramilitary Rangers evacuated 45-50 worshippers to safety, but the victim – who had rushed to the site after closing his shop in Karachi’s Tariq Road area – was beaten by the mob after being recognized, Raza said.
CCTV footage reviewed by investigators showed the man recording the protest before the assault escalated. “He collapsed during the initial attack, and the mob continued beating him until he died,” Raza added.
“We have decided to lodge a murder case against the TLP leaders and workers. We are waiting for relatives to lodge the FIR (first information report). If they do not register the case, then the FIR will be registered on behalf of the state against the TLP workers.”
TLP spokesperson Rehan Mohammed Khan denied responsibility, calling the protest “peaceful” and demanding evidence linking the party to the killing. “Blaming us without proof is unjust… “What evidence do authorities have to blame us?,” he said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the attack as a “failure of law and order” and accused the state of “complicity in systematic persecution” of Ahmadis, barred from identifying as Muslims or referring to their places of worship as mosques.
Ahmadis are a minority group considered heretical by some orthodox Muslims. They face violence, discrimination and impediments blocking them from voting in general elections.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
