Beleaguered denomination: Structures at worship place ‘looking like a mosque’ razed
JA says locals have enforced an anti-Ahmadiyya boycott in area.
Saleemuddin said the judge had made the bailiff raze the structures before the JA could appeal the ruling. PHOTO: PPI
LAHORE:
The bailiff of a civil court on Monday razed the minarets and an arch (mehrab) of an Ahmadi place of worship in Chakwal in the presence of a heavy police contingent, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Judge Sarwar Ali of the Talagang civil court had ordered these to be razed on the application of Maulvi Muhammad Zahoor, a local cleric, ruling that Ahmadis were not allowed to construct such structures. Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya (JA) spokesperson Saleemuddin told The Express Tribune that a team from the Lawa police station had arrived at Baitul Hamd in Pichnand village along with the complainant. He said policemen had forced Ahmadis to vacate the worship place before razing the minarets and the mehrab.
Saleemuddin said the police had not even permitted Ahmadis to remain in the religious place’s vicinity. He said the place of worship had been constructed on land belonging to members of the community in 1962.
Saleemuddin said the judge had made the bailiff raze the structures before the JA could appeal the ruling.
He said the development was part of a concerted anti-Ahmadiyya campaign in the region.
Saleemuddin said locals had enforced an anti-Ahmadiyya boycott in the area and Ahmadi students had been recently expelled from public and private educational institutions in the area.
Zahoor said Ahmadis were not allowed to propagate their beliefs. He said they had tried to pose as Muslims by deliberately making the worship place come across as a mosque. Zahoor said Habibullah, Ijaz Ahmed, Muhammad Rafi and Amir Taimoor had constructed the structures. He said this had outraged their religious feelings.
SHO Hussain Shah told The Express Tribune that it was imperative to make Ahmadis vacate the spot to prevent any untoward incident. Shah said it was the duty of the bailiff to ensure the presence of Ahmadis along with the complainant at the spot. He said he was only present on the occasion as he had been told by the court to provide security to the bailiff.
Shah said the bailiff had left the site after razing the structures in 45 minutes.
According to the court record, Zahoor had filed a case on this account in 2011. Judge Ali had ruled that Ahmadis were barred from constructing minarets but did not order the structures to be demolished.
JA had appealed the ruling in September 2013 at a sessions court.
The court had ordered the minarets to be razed in March 2015 and gave JA a two-month window to appeal the verdict.
Salimuddin said the JA was in the midst of formulating the review petition in the stipulated timeframe when Zahoor had gotten the civil court’s order executed.
He said this was illegal and unconstitutional. Salimuddin said the action violated Article 20 of the Constitution.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2015.
The bailiff of a civil court on Monday razed the minarets and an arch (mehrab) of an Ahmadi place of worship in Chakwal in the presence of a heavy police contingent, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Judge Sarwar Ali of the Talagang civil court had ordered these to be razed on the application of Maulvi Muhammad Zahoor, a local cleric, ruling that Ahmadis were not allowed to construct such structures. Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya (JA) spokesperson Saleemuddin told The Express Tribune that a team from the Lawa police station had arrived at Baitul Hamd in Pichnand village along with the complainant. He said policemen had forced Ahmadis to vacate the worship place before razing the minarets and the mehrab.
Saleemuddin said the police had not even permitted Ahmadis to remain in the religious place’s vicinity. He said the place of worship had been constructed on land belonging to members of the community in 1962.
Saleemuddin said the judge had made the bailiff raze the structures before the JA could appeal the ruling.
He said the development was part of a concerted anti-Ahmadiyya campaign in the region.
Saleemuddin said locals had enforced an anti-Ahmadiyya boycott in the area and Ahmadi students had been recently expelled from public and private educational institutions in the area.
Zahoor said Ahmadis were not allowed to propagate their beliefs. He said they had tried to pose as Muslims by deliberately making the worship place come across as a mosque. Zahoor said Habibullah, Ijaz Ahmed, Muhammad Rafi and Amir Taimoor had constructed the structures. He said this had outraged their religious feelings.
SHO Hussain Shah told The Express Tribune that it was imperative to make Ahmadis vacate the spot to prevent any untoward incident. Shah said it was the duty of the bailiff to ensure the presence of Ahmadis along with the complainant at the spot. He said he was only present on the occasion as he had been told by the court to provide security to the bailiff.
Shah said the bailiff had left the site after razing the structures in 45 minutes.
According to the court record, Zahoor had filed a case on this account in 2011. Judge Ali had ruled that Ahmadis were barred from constructing minarets but did not order the structures to be demolished.
JA had appealed the ruling in September 2013 at a sessions court.
The court had ordered the minarets to be razed in March 2015 and gave JA a two-month window to appeal the verdict.
Salimuddin said the JA was in the midst of formulating the review petition in the stipulated timeframe when Zahoor had gotten the civil court’s order executed.
He said this was illegal and unconstitutional. Salimuddin said the action violated Article 20 of the Constitution.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2015.