Daily Times

Religious intolerance, or sometimes touted as religious extremism, is not a new phenomenon in the
social and political dominion of the South and West Asia. Rooted in the general hatred towards “the
others” and flourished through sectarian dividend, the theological intelligentsia has been calling the
shots for this intolerance over the centuries. In such a conflict ridden and religiously sensitive region,
Muslims of sub-continent started their struggle for separate nation state under the premise of the “Two
Nation Theory”.

Thus, when on the eve of 14 August Pakistan came into being, the religious elite and
devoted masses were already deeply entrenched in the founding design and principles of the country.
Be it the Shia-Sunni conflict or the legality of Qadiyani faith, the general sentiments of populace and the
well-established interests of the pious leaders have always proved to be the sword of Damocles for the
legislator. Over the time, there has been a significant reduction in the intensity of Shia-Sunni dividend
particularly due to active participation of foreign support and local law enforcement agencies’ efforts to
curtail the issue. However, the issue with Qadiyani admittance or ejection from the Islam has continued
to be the uphill task for policy makers.

On 29th of April, 2020 the PM Imran Khan gave his consent to the inclusion of the Ahmedis in the
Minorities Commission of Pakistan. This move has seemed to irk the religious sentiments of plethora of
masses as the social media was hit with the waves of several trends; demanding not only the roll-back of
recent legislation but also the upfront persecution of the Qadiyani community. This perfectly exhibits
the sensitivity and the insecurity of Muslims when it comes to Religious matters.

The background of the issue lies in the second amendment to the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan which
has clearly declared Qadiyani as non-Muslims citizen of Pakistan. But, the issue still remains at large due
to subtle denunciation of the Constitution by the Ahmedi community- as they don’t consider themselves
bound by it- and the promulgation of their faith as the true one. Owing to this psychological approach,
there have been many encounters between the two groups and often led to rampant destruction of
property and mammoth bloodbath.

With many intellectuals admiring government decision to finally give Qadiyani’s their minority rights; it
would still be an extremely difficult task to persuade all the religious sects to support the legislation.
However, on the Humanitarian Account, this move is widely acknowledged and praised across the
board.