A visit to Rabwah

Rabwah, for many people, is a place so special, that no matter where they live, they will never forget their childhood memories in that town. My own parents, who were born and grew up there, often mention how peaceful and lively it was back in those days. Whenever they tell me stories about their childhood, it becomes apparent how fond they are of their birthplace and how much they miss it. I am every so often told about Eid at …

Eid under the Shadow of Guns

This Wednesday when Sabir woke up he was in a sombre mood, It was day of Eid a Muslim holiday which marks the end of Ramadhan. Muslims start their day by attending the congregational Eid prayer service in the morning. But Sabir knew he wasn’t going to the Aqsa Mosque, where thousands had attended congregational Eid prayers each year for decades, where the sweet smell of perfume would make the cool morning air even fresher. But No those days are …

Sahiwal Road section completed

Part of The Sahiwal Road which connects outskirts of Rabwah (Chanian) to the town centre had been under construction for a few years now but due to the lack of attention and funding by the local establishment the project had remained dormant. The construction got back on track in the last few months and was completed this week but it’s still yet unknown how much this piece of road which is barely a Kilometre long and less than 10 ft …

Buddhist ruins found near Rabwah

Remnants of a 4th century AD Buddhist stupa and monastery have been found on the foothills of Rabwah in area once knows as ‘Punj Peer’. The discovery was made by Chiniot based a local NGO called Lok Baithak. The remains which include graves, walls of rooms, animal bones, pottery and meditation cells built out of stones and terracotta bricks are spread over an area of nine acres. According to archaeologists these may be the remains of the lost OJAN or …

Independence Day Preparations

As 14th august comes close people in Rabwah, Pakistan prepare to celebrate Pakistan’s 64th Independence Day. Flags, ticker tapes and badges have been on sale for weeks now but as the big day draws near tradesmen have seen an increase in sales. The local hospital and the town’s central mosque “The Aqsa Mosque” has also been lit up to commemorate the occasion but the Government seems to be oblivious of the occasion as the local administration offices still remain plunged …

Rabwah: Appalling sanitation conditions

Last two week’s monsoon rains have brought havoc to the streets of Rabwah, the lack of proper sanitation system had the water overflowing drains and onto the streets. Many of the key roads including College Road and Sahiwal Road still remain days after the torrential rain, while many low lying streets of areas like Dar ul Aloom, Dar ul Nasar and Dar ul Rehmat seem to have completely disappeared and all you can see is pools of water and the …

Funeral & Burial services held for Sahabzadi Hadhrat Nasira Begum

On Friday 29th July Sahibzadi Hadhrat Nasira Begum sahiba mother of Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) Khalifatul Masih V (current head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) passed away in Rabwah. May Allah award her with great place in paradise and may Allah strengthen the hands of our beloved Huzur(aba). Funeral was held on the 30th of July in Rabwah which was attended by over 20,000 people, the burial took place afterwards. All this was broadcasted live on Ahmadiyya Muslim community’s TV Channel …

Rabwah – Basketball a Love Story

Since the 50’s from the time when Hadhrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad the 3rd Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was the principal of now Nationalized Talim ul Islam College Rabwah has been a breeding ground for top sportsmen. From volleyball, rowing, hockey, Tent Pegging to basketball the city has had one of the best Sports records in Pakistan. Rabwah also had one of the best boating clubs in the country and boating at the riverside was a popular past time for …

Ahmadiyya – A community a world apart !

Even though the annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was being held miles away in the England, the small town of Rabwah in Punjab, Pakistan didn’t seem too far off from the activities. The public in Rabwah looked like as if it was part of the bustling crowd of thousands which had gathered in the English countryside for a three day annual convention. The crowd consisted of Ambassadors, public figure’s, Ahmadi’s and guests from over 90 countries around the …

In Ahmadis’ desert city, Pakistan closes in

RABWAH, Pakistan (Reuters) – At the office of what claims to be one of Pakistan’s oldest newspapers, workers scan copy for words it is not allowed to use — words like Muslim and Islam. “The government is constantly monitoring this publication to make sure none of these words are published,” explains our guide during a visit to the offices of al Fazl, the newspaper of the Ahmadiyya sect in Pakistan. This is Rabwah, the town the Ahmadis built when they …

Ahmadis have found their own solutions in Rabwah

RABWAH: When a fire broke out at a building in Chiniot, the district administration called the rescue service in Rabwah for help. The irony that the Chiniot building was owned by a member of the Khatam-e-Nabuwwat movement is not lost to Rabwah’s rescue services. A former tae kwon do instructor with the Pakistan Army, Nadir Saidain says the fire service was started because the district administration refused to assist in rescue operations in Rabwah town. The service, like many others …

In Rabwah, every house has a story to tell

RABWAH: The tombstones in Rabwah’s graveyards tell a macabre tale. The graves of the men killed in the attacks on Ahmadi places of worship in Lahore – retired army officers and young factory workers among them – rest with the dozens killed due to the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community. The graveyards have been defiled in the past as locals have released animals in the graveyards or trod on the graves. Other tombstones in a row show how entire families …