Daily Times

Sir: Turning Pakistan into a welfare state is the dream of Imran Khan. But I think it is going to be ‘mission impossible’ for the new Prime Minister. Because the religious groups who were against the establishment of Pakistan have strengthened their position, and are systematically disturbing the law and order situation in the name of religion. As a result, minorities in particular have been facing serious problems in recent years.

After a debate on the electoral reform bill in the National Assembly, Ahmadis were especially targeted. Although in this case, the Ahmadis did not have any role, because the Ahmadiya community is completely isolated from politics and affairs of the state. But attacks on their places of worship and target killings continue all year long, and hundreds of innocent Ahmadis have already been murdered or forced to leave their homes as a result. Nobody has the courage to condemn the cruelty that the Ahmadi community have to face daily. We protest against the cruel treatment of Rohingiya Muslims, but similar incidents of cruelty take place against the Ahmadis in Pakistan as well. A few years ago when terrorists attacked an Ahmadi place of worship in Lahore, which resulted in the deaths over a hundred innocent people, some “Mullahs” went as far as to distribute sweets in celebration.

Now we have even forgotten about the unprecedented sacrifices that members of the Ahmadi community have made for this country. We can call the anti Pakistan mullahs patriots, yet loyal Ahamdis are labelled as anti Pakistan. It was our Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who said that every citizen of Pakistan was free to go to their mosques or places of worship to practice their religion in peace; all you needed was to be a true Pakistani. But in the present situation it seems that the country was established for mullahs, and minorities like Ahmadis have no right to live. This current state of affairs needs to change and quick, for the sake of our future progress.

SANAULLAH BALTISTANI

Skardu

Published in Daily Times, September 21^st 2018.