'Sad reflection of condition of minorities': India slams Pakistan over Ahmadi man's murder

Condemning the killing of an 82-year-old Ahmadi man in Pakistan's Peshawar, India on Thursday hit out at Islamabad, saying minority community's space to practice their religion in the country has "shrunk". Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that this is a sad reflection of the state of minorities in Pakistan. In a press briefing that was held on Nov 12, he added that the condition of minorities remains "deplorable."

'Their condition remains deplorable'

Speaking during the Thursday's press briefing in Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We have seen media reports of an 82-year-old Ahmadi man believed to have been shot and killed by some gunmen, apparently because of his faith in Peshawar. This is, unfortunately, a sad reflection of the state of minorities in Pakistan," he said. "Over a period of time, we have seen the space for people from the minority community to practise their religion shrink continuously. Besides, their condition remains deplorable," Srivastava said. e said India has been consistently raising the issue of the safety, security and well-being of minority communities with the government of Pakistan. 

The statement comes after gunmen shot and killed an 82-year-old Ahmadi man on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, the fourth-such apparently targeted killing of a member of the minority group in recent months. The attackers shot Mahmoob Khan on Sunday as he stood at a bus terminal, said Saleem Uddin, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ahmadi community. Uddin said he believed gunmen targeted Khan because of his faith. Police confirmed the shooting took place but declined to offer any motive.

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Recently, a 168-page report by UK-based All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Ahmadi Muslim Community had revealed details about the discrimination Ahmadi community has been facing in Pakistan. The report titled "Suffocation of the Faithful - the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and the rise of International Extremism" categorically says that persecution against the peace-loving community intensified following the partition of the Indian subcontinent and the formation of Pakistan. The Ahmadi faith was established on the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, whose followers believe was a prophet. Pakistan's parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. Ahmadis repeatedly have been targeted by Islamic extremists in the time since in this Muslim-majority nation, drawing condemnation from human right groups. (with agency inputs)

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