Ahmadi man killed in religiously motivated attack

An Ahmadi man was killed in a religiously motivated attack in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, Pakistan on 5 December.

According to the International Human Rights Desk of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the victim Tayyab Ahmad was attacked with an axe by an assailant believed to be in his early 30s who approached Ahmad whilst he was visiting his brother in his shop.

The attacker told the two brothers that ‘Qadianis’ – an anti-Ahmadi slur – must leave the area before striking Ahmad with the axe. Ahmad is said to have died instantly, and leaves behind a widow.

Ahmad’s brother, Tahir Ahmad Qamar, had reportedly faced increasing harassment in recent months. Aaj News Reportado that he had recently moved his family out of Rawalpindi due to constant threats, and days before the attack took place extremists had pelted stones at Qamar’s shop.

Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya community is the most institutionally and constitutionally oppressed religious group in the country. Various laws categorise the Ahmadiyya community as ‘non-Muslims’ and place restrictions on the community, including a 1974 constitutional amendment, and Sections 298-B and C of the penal code.

Ahmadis are also regularly targeted with violence and hate speech. Ahmad’s murder is the fifth reported religiously motivated killing of an Ahmadi in Pakistan in 2024.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW extends our deepest condolences to the widow and loved ones of Tayyab Ahmad, who is the latest victim of decades of hatred and violence directed towards Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya Community. We call for a swift and comprehensive investigation into his murder, ensuring that his killer faces the full consequences of the law, and once again urge the government of Pakistan to reverse discriminatory legislation and combat the hateful rhetoric that emboldens and encourages extremists to carry out such horrific attacks.’