A mob of hundreds attacked an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi on Friday, allegedly lynching one man to death and trapping around 40 others inside.
According to police, the mob of more than 300 people primarily comprised workers of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), who gathered at the site and attempted to prevent Ahmadis from observing their religious rituals. They said police had rushed to the site upon hearing of the situation and were providing protection to the Ahmadis present inside the place of worship.
Local media reported the TLP workers allegedly assaulted the slain man near the location. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Police have said they are securing CCTV footage of the assault to ascertain further details.
The law enforcers have claimed that they have dispersed a majority of the mob, but at least 100 of them remain outside the place of worship and are demanding the registration of a first information report against the Ahmadi community for exercising their right to practice their religion.
The TLP routinely intimidates and harasses members of the Ahmadi community, at times in collusion with law enforcers, who accept their demands in an ostensible bid to defuse tensions. The group has torn down Ahmadi places of worship in other parts of the country, particularly Punjab, in violation of law. Last month, the TLP targeted various Ahmadi places of worship in Punjab to prevent them from practicing their religion. Police in the province registered an FIR against over 50 members of the Ahmadi community under blasphemy laws for offering prayers on Friday.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has noted a growing trend of mob-led attacks on religious minorities and their places of worship. In a report released last month, it noted that Ahmadis were often subjected to arbitrary detention, desecration of their graves and assaults on their places of worship. It noted that in many cases, law enforcement officials had initiated cases against Ahmadis themselves.