Extremists have warned members of the Ahmadiyya Community residing in Jhelum that they will "hang" all those community members who attempt to partake in ritual sacrifice on Eidul Adha, arguing that the rite is performed by those who are Muslims and that the Constitution has forbidden members of the minority community to partake in practices which depict them as Muslims.
The warning came a few weeks ago when members of the local Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chapter staged a rally in the district.
Members of the Ahmadiyya community in Jhelum said that Asim Ashfaq Rizvi, the local leader of TLP, had announced the party will stage a rally on May 10, 2024, to express solidarity with Palestine and against the atrocities committed by Israel.
At the appointed time, a large number of people gathered. But instead of following the stated route for the rally, community members said Rizvi allegedly changed the route and parked the rally outside a Bait-ul-Zikr (worship place for the Ahmadiyya community) in Jhelum and started issuing threats.
"If any Ahmadi attempts to sacrifice even a single animal [on Eidul Adha], we will hang the Ahmadis living in Jhelum," a TLP leader could be heard saying in a video posted online from the rally. His threats were met with cheers from the gathered crowd.
Addressing the rally, the TLP leader boasted how they had demolished the minarets erected atop all the Ahmadiyya community worship places and epitaphs atop the graves of Ahmadiyya community members buried in Jhelum. He claimed that members of the Ahmadiyya community were not Muslims, nor could they engage in acts which would show that they were Muslims.
He also threatened district administration and police officers, including the deputy commissioner, SHOs and DSPs, warning them against protecting members of the Ahmadiyya community. He continued that they were issuing a warning to the Ahmadiyya community over a month in advance against sacrificing animals on Eidul Adha.
During the rally, some rally participants were seen brandishing a sword.
Members of the Ahmadiyya community have expressed grave concerns over this development and have urged the authorities to do their duty and safeguard their lives and property. They pointed out how last year, members of their community were persecuted by extremists and even law enforcers who arrested several community members for purchasing sacrificial animals. The authorities also confiscated such animals.