Need to stop discrimination against minorities spiraling out of control in Pak: Editorial

Islamabad, July 13 (ANI): Referring to the recent demolition of six minarets by the police at an Ahmadi place of worship in Kharian, an editorial in a Pakistani daily has said that the incident speaks volumes about the continued official discrimination against the beleaguered community, and if the menace is not curbed now, it would only take over the entire country later.

The spate of attacks on Ahmadi places of worship and the continuous assault on their property and business has made life intolerable for the minority community, said the editorial in The Express Tribune.

Moreover, the country is only adding to its many problems by singling out the Ahmadi community as not being Muslim, it added.

Essentially, in Pakistan, Ahmadis have been declared an outlawed community, one that is not only undeserving of protection, but in whose case law-enforcement agencies do nothing if vigilantes target the community, it said.

Since the government has shown absolutely no inclination to protect the Ahmadi community from trumped-up attacks, it will be up to those few human rights campaigners and others, who care about the plight of downtrodden communities, to chronicle and reveal the many cases of violence against them, the editorial stated.

As tempting as it may be to simply turn a blind eye to the treatment of Ahmadis because the community is small and not worth the bother, Pakistan should always keep in mind that it is exactly this intolerant and bigoted attitude that has made life impossible for other minority communities and sects, it further said.

The Shia Hazara community is just one example of a group of people, who are being targeted in a similar manner. Soon, groups will be targeted not just on the basis of their ethnicity and beliefs but also because of their lifestyle, it added. (ANI)