Abstract

Successive Pakistani administrations have failed to protect the Ahmadiyya community's human rights and security. The criminal law expressly discriminates against religious minorities and specifically targets Ahmadis by forbidding them from "indirectly or directly appearing as a Muslim." Ahmadis are prohibited from openly expressing or spreading their beliefs, from erecting mosques, or from performing the Muslim call to prayer. Because of their religious views, authorities arbitrarily arrest, imprison, and prosecute Ahmadis with blasphemy and other charges. The police have frequently been involved in harassing Ahmadis and pursuing false accusations against them, or they have failed to act to stop anti-Ahmadi violence. The Pakistani government also encourages discrimination against Ahmadis. For example, all Pakistani Muslim individuals seeking for passports must sign a declaration expressly saying that they regard the founder of the Ahmadi community as an "imposter" and Ahmadis as non-Muslims. Pakistani laws targeting the Ahmadiyya community violate Pakistan's international legal obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Pakistan ratified in 2010, including the rights to conscience, religion, expression, and association, as well as the right to profess and practise one's own religion. The paper shall be discussing about the legislations as well as their effects on Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.

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