A group of independent rights experts have expressed to the global human rights body grave concerns regarding a reported upsurge in discrimination and violence against members of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan.
"We are alarmed by ongoing reports of violence and discrimination against the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan. We urge Pakistani authorities to take immediate action to address this situation," the experts expressed to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OCHR). "Urgent measures are necessary to respond to these violent attacks and the broader atmosphere of hatred and discrimination which feeds it."
The experts included Matthew Gillett (Chair), Ganna Yudkivska (Vice-Chair on Communications), Priya Gopalan (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Miriam Estrada-Castillo and Mumba Malila from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea, and Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Gina Romero.
They highlighted specific incidents which took place in recent months, including the extrajudicial killing of two Ahmadis in Saad Ullah Pur on July 8, 2024, and the murder of the Bahawalpur Ahmadiyya Muslim Community president on March 4, 2024.
They also noted that an alarming number of attacks on Ahmadi places of worship and cemeteries have been reported since the beginning of 2024, some of which have resulted in serious injury to worshippers.
"The Ahmadiyya community, their places of worship and cemeteries, must be given effective protection from attacks and vandalism," the experts said.
They also expressed concern regarding alleged arbitrary arrests and detentions of Ahmadi worshipers during religious holidays, especially Eidul Adha, to prevent or obstruct their participation in their religious practices.
"Ahmadis' right to peacefully manifest their beliefs must be respected. Discriminatory arrests and detentions which prevent religion or belief observance represent serious violations of their human rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association," the experts said.
"Judicial harassment serves to normalise violence against Ahmadis by non-State actors."
These violations, the experts believed, reflect an atmosphere of widespread hostility towards Ahmadis in Pakistan. The experts commended the adoption of a resolution on June 23, 2024, by the National Assembly, which strongly urged federal and provincial governments to ensure the safety and security of all citizens of Pakistan, including religious minorities.
"The Resolution by the National Assembly is a welcome step. However, such good-faith efforts to counter discriminatory discourse will be ineffective unless they address its structural drivers," the experts said. "These include blasphemy laws and discriminatory legal provisions which situate Ahmadis, their legal representatives and allies, and other religion or belief minorities, in grave danger of human rights violations."
With a second review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) pending, the experts urged Pakistan to implement recommendations by the Human Rights Committee after its first review in 2017. These recommendations included the repeal or amendment of blasphemy laws to ensure compliance with the ICCPR, and bringing to justice those who incite or engage in violence against others based on allegations of blasphemy.
The experts said they have written to the Pakistani government to raise these concerns. "We stand ready and willing to support the Pakistani government in the effective implementation of its obligations under the ICCPR and other international human rights instruments."
Dwindling population
The population of Ahmadis in Pakistan has nearly halved over the past 25 years.
According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, including detailed data for the 2023 digital census held last year, the population of Hindus has nearly doubled in the past 25 years from 2.11 million in 1997 to 3.87 million in 2023, while those of Scheduled Castes has quadrupled from 330,880 in 1997 to 1.349 million in 2023.
The population of Christians has increased from 2.1 million in 1997 to 3.3 million in 2023. Moreover, the Christian population has grown rapidly from 2.64 million in 2017.
However, the Ahmadi population has shrunk from 291,174 in 1997 to 191,737 in 2017. By 2023, the data showed, this population had shrunk to just 162,684.