A petition seeking directives for Chiniot police to prevent the Ahmediyya community from offering ritual sacrifice on Eidul Azha was disposed of by Lahore High Court with a directive for the DPO to proceed in the matter in accordance with law.
On receiving the order a few days before Eid, the DPO sought guidance from the inspector general of Punjab police. The DPO has yet to receive a response from the office of the IGP.
In the petition submitted on September 12, Nasir Mahmood, a Faisal Town resident, had submitted that he had read in an online newspaper published by the community that sacrificial animals would be slaughtered on the Eid day at Chenabnagar. He said that the Constitution did not allow the Ahmediyya community to sacrifice animals on Eidul Azha. He had requested the court to direct Chiniot police to prevent the community from sacrificing animals.
Saleemudin, a Jamaat-i-Ahmediyya spokesperson, lamented that it had become very difficult for community members to sacrifice animals on Eidul Azha. He said he had been receiving reports for several years about use of police force by sectarian groups to prevent community members from performing the ritual. He said that instead of arranging security for community members who wanted to sacrifice animals on Eid, the police were preventing them from doing so.
Saleemuddin referred to an incident from last year in Sabzazar area. He said that a few days before Eid Hanjarwal police had raided the house of an Ahmedi family and taken into custody a male member. He said the man was released after the family submitted a written undertaking assuring the police that they would not slaughter an animal on the Eid day. He said similar incidents had been reported by community members in Sant Nagar and Township in 2013.
Similar incidents were reported this year from Sant Nagar, Township, North Cantonment, Mustafa Town and Johar Town. Male member from Ahmediyya families and their sacrificial animals were reportedly detained by the police. They were released after they submitted a written assurance that they would not slaughter any animal during Eid days.
North Cantonment DSP Mansoor said he did it to prevent unrest in the area.
