Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry while speaking to The Daily Times categorically condemned a mob that desecrated an Ahmadi worship place in Sialkot on Thursday.
The PTI leader also claimed that the Party’s local leadership in Sialkot was completely unaware of Hamid Raza–the chief instigator of the violence– being a part of the party.
When asked about pictures doing the rounds on social media that showed Hamid Raza sitting next to Imran Khan, Chaudhry said, “Regardless of his link to the PTI, the PTI completely condemns the act.”
Chaudhry also held the state responsible for the violence, saying, “It is always the state’s responsibility to ensure the protection of minority communities’ holy sites.”
“No mob should have the right to instigate violence against a religious community,” the PTI spokesperson added.
Fawad Chaudhry also said that Muslims attacking religious minorities in Pakistan was reminiscent of Narendra Modi’s chauvinist Hindu followers, who were subjecting Muslims in India to similar violence.
“Do we want the World to compare Muslims in Pakistan to chauvinist Hindus in India.?” Chaudhry stated.
The Daily Times also reached out to the government’s spokesperson, and is currently awaiting a response.
Activists and politicians, meanwhile, condemned the mob’s act of aggression that destroyed a religious site belonging to the Ahmadi community in Sialkot.
Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari led the condemnations, taking to Twitter and calling the incident ‘outrageous’ and ‘unacceptable’.
Attack on Ahmedi place of worship outrageous & unacceptable. PPP @Anny_Marri raised issue in senate & referred to HR committee. Perpetrators must be brought to justice.If a nations greatness is judged on how it treats its weakest members,continuation of such acts embarrass us all
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 25, 2018
PPP Senator Quratulain Marri, meanwhile, took to the Upper House’s floor to express her outrage against the act. She claimed that the country in its present state had completely deviated from the Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam had envisioned.
#PPP senator @Anny_Marri condemns attack on Ahmadi’s place of worship in Sialkot.
“This was not Jinnah’s vision, this was not Jinnah’s Pakistan” – Quratulain Marri. pic.twitter.com/JJf6feenk5— Shahbaz Zahid (@shahbazzahid) May 24, 2018
Activist Jibran Nasir, meanwhile, highlighted the fact that no Police personnel were present at the scene to prevent the violence from unfolding.
rahmat-e-sayyad-e-laulak pe kamil iman
ummat-e-sayyad-e-laulak se ḳhauf aata hai
Mob vandalized Ahmadi Mosque Baitul Mubarik and historical Building, house of Mir Hassamuddin, in Sialkot. No police was present to either protect the Community or the place of worship @CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/ap0jGBVJes— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) May 24, 2018
Social media was also abuzz with users linking the PTI to the main perpetrator, Hamid Raza.
Many pictures showed Imran Khan sitting with who allegedly appears to be Raza, while others depicted the PTI supremo presenting an award to Raza.
. @ImranKhanPTI seated next to Hamid Raza, the leader of the violent mob that just destroyed the Ahmadi mosque in Sialkot last night https://t.co/A42Ksp1Upr pic.twitter.com/VUhDAwQEpU
— Fahad Desmukh (@desmukh) May 24, 2018
Another photo of @ImranKhanPTI giving an award to Hamid Raza, the guy who led the violent mob which attacked the Ahmadi mosque in Sialkot yesterday. (via @gypsy_heart6) https://t.co/kvir5ZLQ8h pic.twitter.com/fCVdkjYoUa
— Fahad Desmukh (@desmukh) May 24, 2018
On Thursday, an angry group led by alleged PTI member Hamid Raza attacked the worship place and tore it to the ground. Videos capturing the brutal act of violence went viral on social media.
Another video surfaced, meanwhile, which showed Raza thanking the Tehsil Municipal Authority (TMA), DPO Sialkot and the District Commissioner for allowing the mob to attack the site.
The video also showed Raza challenging anyone to register a First Information Report (FIR) against any member of the mob, claiming that the mob would ‘reduce the city to ashes’ if this happened.