Targeted killing: Factory worker shot allegedly due to his religious beliefs

Ahmediyya community members afraid to step out of their homes.

KARACHI:

A factory worker, Aijaz Ahmad, 36, was on his way to work in Orangi when two armed motorcyclist fired at him. With the murder of Aijaz Ahmad on Wednesday morning, the number of Ahmadis being killed in targeted attacks in a fortnight has risen to three.

On August 21, Zahoor Ahmad Kiyani, 46, who also belongs to the Ahmediyya community was sitting outside his house with a neighbour when he was riddled with bullets. His neighbour was shot too when he attempted to catch the attackers.

Last week, a homeopathicdoctor, Tahir Ahmad, also an Ahmadi, was murdered by armed men in his office when he was seeing his patients. Jama’at Ahmadiyya Pakistan’s spokesperson Saleemuddin, while condemning the killings, said that incidents of target killings have increased ever since religious conferences have been held all over the country to celebrate the day, September 7, 1974, when Ahmadis were declared as non-Muslims. The past few months have been comparatively peaceful for the Ahmadi community except for a killing in June and the recent ones, which clearly indicate an alarming situation, he said.

“It is the responsibility of the government to stop the people from spreading hatred through their literature and through their sermons.”

An Ahmadiyya community member, Masood Ahmad, said that since two of the recent killings took place in Orangi, it shows that the residents have become intolerant towards the the community.

“There are no-go areas in Orangi where criminals are stronger and the police are weak,” he said.

Over the last few days, wall-chalking has also increased in this area and people are afraid to leave their homes and go out for work, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2013.