Pakistan Ahmadis fear another attack after intimidation By Mudassir Raja Published: November 11, 2011 Locals foresee

outbreak of violence after banners against the community. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE RAWALPINDI: The residents of F block, Satellite Town fear for their safety after a number of banners cropped up, demanding that Ahmadis leave the area and termi ng the communitys activities unconstitutional. The banners are anonymous, though their demands are clear: for Ahmadis to cease all acts of worship in F block. The Ahmadi community now fears a recurrence of recent attacks on their community , such as in May 2010 in Lahore when 93 people were killed. Sherjeel Mir, who leads the campaign a term with pejorative connotations. uilding in Satellite Town from their ddition to carrying out preaching in r neighbours, he says. against the minority, calls Ahmadis Qadianis The Qadianis, a few years ago, purchased a b own people and set up a worship place, in a the residential areas, creating problems fo

Mir says that he has no objections to any community living in the area; his prob lem is with the congregation of religious groups. He adds that Ahmadis have put up barriers and posted private guards on the main road adjacent to the hospital. Mir, a businessman, even claims the Ahmadi community has snipers on the rooftop of the building, which he terms a fortress. Alarmingly, he adds that if there are delays in dealing with the problem, there could be serious repercussions. A number of Ahmadis, when interviewed, say they have done no wrong. The building was built after Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya purchased the land. Being a regis tered organisation, and under the relevant rules, they can carry out worship in the building, said a senior member of Ahmadi community, who asked not to be ident ified. The man added that moveable barriers and a few young security guards were arrang ed every Friday after last years attack in Lahore. The district administration gr anted permission for this. We have removed the barriers and young guards from the main road in front of our building after some people objected to our security measures, he said. The community member also justified shifting premises, as the community had prev iously gathered at a building near Committee Chowk on Benazir Bhutto Road. He emphasised that his community had committed no unconstitutional or unlawful a ctivities and pleaded for the hate campaign to stop so Ahmadis could feel safe l iving in the area. Superintendent of Police for Rawal Town area Malik Matloob Ahmed ruled out any c hance the law and order situation might turn sour. Ahmed said he had referred both sides to contact either the town municipal admin istrator or the DCO to establish whether the building purchased by the Ahmadis w

as a residential building or a place of worship. The police will be in a better position to tackle the issue after the determination of the actual status of the building, he added. The SP also said the banners and hoardings against Ahmadis would be removed. Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2011.

Copyrighted 2011 The Express Tribune News Network Source : http://tribune.com.pk/story/290063/ahmadis-fear-another-attackafter-intimidation/