Ahmadi man charged with blasphemy for distributing food on Ashura in Pakistan

Gujranwala [Pakitan], July 7 (ANI): Authoritie in Pakitan have charged a member of the perecuted Ahmadiyya community with blaphemy for ditributing langar (free food) during the Ilamic holy day of Ahura in the eatern city of Gujranwala, Dawn reported.
According to the report, on Sunday a citizen filed a Firt Information Report (FIR) at the Satellite Town Police Station, alleging that the Ahmadi man wa een ditributing biryani at 4:30 pm while identifying himelf a a Mulim and peaking and acting like a Mulim.
The complainant claimed that the accued fled when approached. The cae wa regitered under Section 298(C) of the Pakitan Penal Code, which criminalie Ahmadi for referring to themelve a Mulim or engaging in Ilamic practice.
Dawn alo reported that lat month, the Lahore High Court Bar Aociation wrote to the Punjab Inpector General of Police, requeting preventive action againt the Ahmadi community ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. The letter tated that follower of other religion and ect -- particularly Ahmadi -- are neither legally nor religiouly permitted to oberve Ilamic ritual.
In it coverage of the incident, Dawn alo referenced the Human Right Commiion of Pakitan (HRCP) report titled Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023-24, releaed in March 2024.
According to the report, a of October 2023, more than 750 individual were imprioned on blaphemy charge acro Pakitan. The HRCP documented at leat four faith-baed killing during the reporting period, three of which involved member of the Ahmadiyya community.
The HRCP report alo noted an increae in diinformation-driven blaphemy cae and highlighted concern regarding the arbitrary detention of Ahmadi, deecration of their grave, and the broader vulnerability of minority group, including Hindu and Chritian women, to forced converion.
The Ahmadiyya community in Pakitan ha long faced legal and ocial retriction. Under Pakitani law, Ahmadi are officially declared non-Mulim and are prohibited from uing Ilamic ymbol or terminology.
The law ha repeatedly been invoked to prevent member of the community from performing baic religiou act, including greeting other with traditional Ilamic phrae, reciting the Quran publicly, or naming their place of worhip a moque.
The cae in Gujranwala add to a erie of incident involving the Ahmadiyya community, who face legal and ocial limitation in Pakitan under law enacted ince 1974. (ANI)