Ahmadiyya community doctor killed over his faith in Pakistan

Islamabad, May 17 (IANS) Renowned Pakistani doctor Sheikh Ahmad Mahmood, belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya community, was shot inside Sargodha's Fatima Hospital in the Punjab province by extremist elements because of his faith, according to local media reports.

The police report stated that the gunman, on Friday, arrived at the hospital dressed in the uniform of "Clean Punjab Program" staff, approached the deceased and shot him two times in the back while saying: "I won't spare you today, Mahmood," critically damaging his internal organs.

The doctor was taken to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The attacker fled the scene after the fatal shooting with another person who arrived on a motorcycle.

In a press release issued by the Ahmadiyya community, the doctor had been receiving threats for some time from extremist elements because of his faith, and they were forcing him to change the location of his job.

"He was a very charitable person and had no enmity with anyone," the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson said about the deceased, who was killed because of his faith.

According to the community, this was the third Ahmadiyya to be targeted in the past month.

"The sudden increase in the continuous target killing of Ahmadis due to differences in faith indicates a systematic wave. This is increasing the sense of insecurity among Ahmadis. This requires immediate attention and effective measures from the law enforcement agencies. The continuous increase in hate incidents against Ahmadis is condemnable. The higher authorities should take notice of these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice according to the law," the statement read.

The spokesperson alleged that extremist elements were functioning against Ahmadiyya in Sargodha as well as in other areas, with frivolous cases being registered against them, and hate speeches were made to prevent the community from observing their religious rituals.

Reports suggested that last month, a 46-year-old businessman was lynched when a few hundred supporters of a religio-political party stormed a place of worship belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Karachi's Saddar area to prevent them from performing religious rituals.

In March, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in a report titled 'Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023-24', revealed that freedom of religion or belief remains under constant threat in Pakistan, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing yearly.

The report cited an increasing trend of mob-led attacks on the homes of families belonging to religious minorities, as well as their places of worship.

--IANS

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