Over to police: Plea against Ahmedi graves disposed of

Petitioner directed to approach police station concerned.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking a case against the administration of an Ahmedi graveyard and the families of those buried there over the inscription of Quranic verses and the Kalma on some graves.

ADSJ Malik Tariq Mehmood Zargham directed petitioner Tufail Raza to approach the police station concerned and record his statement with the station house officer (SHO).

Raza said in the petition that he had seen the inscriptions on the graves when he passed through the graveyard in Liaqatabad on July 13.

He said that the Ahmedi community had been declared non-Muslims via Article 260(3)(a) and (b), while Section 298(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code provided for a prison term for Ahmedis who “directly or indirectly, pose as Muslims”. Raza said that he had visited the police station concerned to lodge a case against the families of those buried in graves which had Quranic verses inscribed on them, but the SHO did not listen to him. He asked the court to direct the SHO to register a case against the families and the administration of the graveyard. The court directed the petitioner to approach the SHO, who would record his statement and proceed in according with the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2012.