LAHORE, June 6: Three young men of the Ahmadi minority community were critically injured when an unidentified gunman opened fire at its prominent place of worship in Punjab province of Pakistan, police said Saturday.
The incident took place at Ahmadi’s worship place — Bait-ul-Aqsa — at the Ahmadiyya headquarters Rabwah, Chenab Nagar, some 175 kms from Lahore late on Friday evening.
According to police, the unidentified man came on a motorcycle at the Ahmadi worship place and opened indiscriminate fire on the people going to offer prayers.
Three young men were critically injured in the attack and were shifted to hospital, the police said, adding a case has been registered against the unidentified attacker.
Although Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, Pakistan’s Parliament in 1974 declared the community to be non-Muslims. A decade later, they were not just banned from calling themselves Muslims but were also barred from practising aspects of Islam.
These include constructing or displaying any symbol that identifies them as Muslims, such as building minarets or domes on mosques, or publicly writing verses from the Quran.
Spokesperson for Ahmadiyya community Amir Mahmood strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Rabwah, saying that this is the second terrorist attack there within the last few months, leaving Ahmadis feeling insecure.
In October 2025, six Ahmadis were injured in a firing incident outside the Bait-ul-Mahdi Ahmadi place of worship in Rabwah.
The spokesperson further stated that a few days ago, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, security agencies had issued a threat alert regarding the risk of terrorist activity in Rabwah.
He claimed a continuous campaign of hate speech and malicious propaganda against innocent and peaceful Ahmadis is being carried out throughout Pakistan.
“Through this, the general public is incited to target Ahmadis. Campaigns for the economic and social boycott of Ahmadis are being conducted. One-sided propaganda and baseless allegations are made regarding the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya community.
“Such fatwas (religious edict) exist that incite the public to kill Ahmadis wherever they see them. Ahmadis do not consider themselves safe anywhere in Pakistan, including Rabwah,” he said.
The spokesperson demanded that the hate-based campaigns be stopped immediately, the perpetrators be brought to justice, and effective measures be taken to protect the lives and property of Ahmadis in Pakistan.
According to the Minority Rights Group, religious minorities in Pakistan – including Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, Sikhs and smaller communities such as the Kalasha – often live in impoverished and marginalised conditions marked by systemic discrimination, economic hardship and security concerns.
“Although they collectively make up around four per cent of the population, these groups frequently live under a constant sense of fear and are often treated as second-class citizens,” the organisation said. (PTI)
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