KARACHI: Police in Surjani Town registered a criminal case against more than two dozen members of the Ahmadiyya community on Friday, following a complaint from a Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activist. Six individuals were taken into custody.
Earlier in the day, authorities had placed 25 members of the community under "protective custody" after TLP activists gathered outside their place of worship, demanding they be prevented from offering Friday prayers.
According to officials, the case was filed on the complaint of local TLP leader Irfan Gujjar, who accused 19 named individuals and several others of violating Sections 298 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertain to hurting religious sentiments and acting with common intent.
DIG-West Irfan Ali Baloch stated that TLP supporters had assembled outside a house in Surjani Town’s Sector-4-A, objecting to the community’s religious practices. To avert any law and order situation, police detained 25 Ahmadis.
A spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community, Amir Mehmood, condemned the detentions, revealing that among those held were eight children. He stated that the TLP had been pressuring authorities to take action against their place of worship for some time.
He questioned how private religious observances inside a closed building could be considered a crime, calling the incident a blatant violation of human rights and constitutional freedoms that allow individuals to practice their faith.
The FIR detailed that the complainant, after monitoring activities at the site for over a month, alerted TLP leaders and then contacted police via Madadgar-15 to prevent Ahmadis from offering their prayers.
