Asia

U.S. announces sanctions against Pakistani Police officer on Human Rights Day

On International Human Rights Day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it has taken action against Pakistani police officer Rao Anwar for his role in staging fake police encounters and killing over 400 individuals. In a press release the U.S. Treasury said: During his tenure as the Senior Superintendent of Police in District Malir, Pakistan, Rao Anwar Khan (Anwar) was reportedly responsible for staging numerous fake police encounters in which individuals were killed by police, and was involved …

Power outage planned for December 3rd could affect Rabwah

The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) has warned that potential power shutoff may impact Rabwah residents on Tuesday. In a statement, FESCO said that the shutdown was to carry out the much-needed repair, maintenance, and expansion of electricity lines in the area. According to the company, the scheduled shut down will affect power supply to Ahmad Nagar and Chenab Nagar Rabwah which originates from Chiniot and Lalian grid stations. The December 3rd shut down will affect over 70,000 customers from …

Pakistan destroys Mosque of Ahmadi Muslim minority

An Ahmadi Mosque in Punjab province, in south-eastern Pakistan, was partially destroyed on October 25, the latest casualty in Pakistan’s campaign against the tiny Muslim minority. Assistant Commissioner of Hasilpur, Mohammad Tayyab led the Friday operation which saw the destruction of the Mosque’s Mihrab. He was accompanied by the Police officers and officials from Bladia, the local development authority. A spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan, Saleemuddin, confirmed the incident saying the Local Government & Community Development authority …

U.S. Consulate deletes tweet pointing out Pakistan’s religious intolerance

The U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan has removed a tweet which pointed out Pakistan’s religious intolerance against its Ahmadiyya community. The embassy had issued a tweet on Tuesday afternoon urging the public to watch Salam, a documentary film on Abdus Salam, a Nobel prize winning physicist. Salam was shunned by Pakistan due to his Ahmadiyya Muslim faith. “If you want to figure out what’s wrong with Pakistan, watch #SalamOnNetflix” The tweet was quickly deleted soon after, but not before it …

Pakistan blocks bill which would have allowed non-Muslims to become Prime Minister or President

Pakistan’s Parliament on Tuesday blocked the introduction of a bill that would have allowed non-Muslims to become President or Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic. The bill which was presented by a Christian member of Parliament Naveed Aamir Jeeva was blocked by a majority of the Muslim members. MNA Jeeva’s bill proposed the removal of the Muslim requirement for the office of President and PM under article 41 and 91 of the constitution. Article 41 A person shall not be …

14-year-old Christian girl abducted from Pakistan’s Faisalabad region

14-year-old Christian girl Samra Bibi was abducted from her house in Pakistan’s Faisalabad region on September 16th, reports International Christian Concern. According to ICC, Habib was kidnapped while she was alone at home by man named Muhammad Ramiz who was known in the area for sexually harassing Christian girls. The report claims Police registered the abduction case after pressure from human rights organization, however change the girls age to 16. Habib’s father Munir Masih claims the authorities changed Samra’s age …

British Police officers to train Punjab Police in latest investigation techniques

Three of Britain’s top cops are to train Pakistan’s Punjab Police in latest investigation methods. The Pakistan-origin officers met Governor Punjab Mohammad Sarwar in August and briefed him about the training program. The group included Senior Chief Inspector Zahid Khan, Superintendent Shabnam Chowdhury and Deputy Chief Naveed Malik. Malik joined the UK police in 1989 and has received nine Chief Constables’ commendations. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said that Pakistanis abroad are our proud and valuable …

Indian Muslim politician tells Pakistanis to save Ahmadis first

Since August 5th, when the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), tensions among Indians and Pakistanis have spilled over to Twitter. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has since accused the Indian government of “ethnic cleansing” of the Muslim-majority region. Khan claimed that revocation of Article 370 was an attempt to “change demography of Kashmir”. However Indian Muslim politicians have been quick to shut down the religious approach being applied to the conflict. Salman Nizami, a …

Facebook removes profile frame targeting Ahmadis

Facebook said on Wednesday that it has removed a profile frame targeting Pakistan’s long-persecuted Ahmadi community as the media giant continues to grapple with the proliferation of hate speech on the social network. Profile frames are filters Facebook users can add to their pictures that often promote a cause, celebrate a holiday, or commemorate an event or tragedy. The frame withdrawn by Facebook called for the death of the Ahmadis in Urdu and was widely shared in Pakistan. “We have …

U.S. President Trump meets freed Pakistani Ahmadi

U.S. President Trump on Wednesday met with a Pakistani Ahmadi man who spent three years in prison for his Ahmadiyya beliefs. Pakistanis Abdul Shukoor and Shaan Taseer were two of the 27 participants in the Oval Office meeting with President Trump. During the brief interaction 83 year old Abdul Shukoor prayed for President Trump and said: “I pray that may Allah reward you, protect you and give you a long life” “I can call myself a Muslim in the United …

Teenagers burn down security cabin of Ahmadi Mosque in Wah Cantt

Pakistan Police on saturday arrested four teenagers and charged them with burning down of a security cabin of an Ahmadi Mosque. According to police, those four arrested teenagers who were returning home after playing in cricket burned down the security cabin outside the Ahmadi Mosque located near sector 14 Wah Cantonment. The teenagers who were later identified as Sabihuddin, Hafiz Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Sheharyar and Atta Mohammad fled the scene. The four teenagers who are aged between 14 and 18 …

Pakistan becoming increasingly hostile towards Ahmadis, report says

Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya community has accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of stirring religious hatred against them. In a report issued on Monday, the Ahmadiyya community alleged that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had fanned “the flames of religious hatred against Ahmadis”. Khan, in the lead-up to the July election that brought him to power, backed anti-blasphemy laws that included the death penalty as well as a discriminatory oath which specifically targeted the Ahmadi Muslims. Saleem-ud-Din, the spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim …