Police Allegedly Demolish Ahmadi Minarets in Punjab Province

Police allegedly demolished the minarets of a 40-year-old Ahmadi worship place in Pakistan's Punjab province. Over a dozen policemen were involved in the incident, which took place in Okara, Depalpur. The action was reportedly taken after local Ahmadis refused to comply with a police request to demolish the minarets themselves.

Police reportedly demolished the minarets of a decades-old Ahmadi worship place in Punjab, Pakistan, as per the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan. The incident occurred in Okara, Depalpur, approximately 130 km from Lahore.

Amir Mahmood, an official of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, disclosed that Punjab police officers demolished the minarets and removed sacred words under the guidance of the local Deputy Superintendent of Police. Mahmood highlighted that the worship place was constructed before 1984 and should have been exempt from such actions, as per a previous court ruling.

Police justified the demolition by citing a complaint about the minarets' resemblance to those of Muslim mosques and stated that local Ahmadis had refused to remove them themselves. However, the Ahmadi community has frequently faced similar attacks, driven by religious extremism and legal restrictions on their religious practices.

(With inputs from agencies.)