Carshalton and Wallington MP secured a commitment from the
Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner that he will meet
representatives of the Ahmadiyya Community - who have a very
strong presence in South West London - to discuss abuses and
persecution against the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.
On Tuesday 6th February,
MP and MP, the Chair of the
All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,
met with the Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner Zahid Hafeez
Chaudhri and First Secretary Asif Khan about the persecution of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan.
The meeting focused on three main points; the denial of
Ahmadi voting rights in Pakistan, the imprisonment of certain
Ahmadis on grounds of faith and the hate speech that they
continue to suffer in Pakistan.
Carshalton and Wallington MP said:
“I am pleased that I managed to raise some of
the concerns from the Ahmadiyya Community directly with the
Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner and that he agreed to meet
with them to discuss their concerns.
“The meeting was frank and I was disappointed that the High
Commission continues to deny, despite the evidence, there are any
abuses against the Ahmadiyya community, but I hope that we have
opened up a dialogue between the Ahmadiyya community here and the
Pakistani Government. ”
Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain Mcdonagh said:
“The persecution of the Ahmadi community in Pakistan is
well known so we were surprised that the Deputy High Commissioner
wasn’t aware of the three Ahmadi muslims sentenced to death. But
we have promised to write to him with details of the people on
death row. He has also pledged to meet with members of the
local Ahmadi community which is welcome.”
ENDS
Notes
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have faced persecution in
Pakistan for decades and it is the only religious community to be
targeted by the Pakistan state on grounds of faith. The
Pakistani Constitution declared Ahmadis as non-Muslim.
There are currently nine Ahmadis that are imprisoned on
grounds of faith, including three individuals sentenced to
death. Furthermore, they are the only section of the
population that are effectively deprived of the right to vote, in
clear violation of Article 25 of the UN Treaty of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (UN treaty)
(they can only currently vote as non-Muslims or if they reject
their faith, denying the claims of their founder). Ahmadis
are openly arrested and prosecuted for crimes they did not commit
and there are many calls from Pakistan for them to be removed
from public office, the armed forces and civil service and for
lists to be made that target Ahmadis in such offices.
