Pakistan faculty expels 4 Ahmadi college students for ‘their faith’

Four college students belonging to the Ahmadi group had been expelled from a faculty for “their faith” in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Friday, the most recent incident of discrimination in opposition to members of the minority group.

Pakistan’s Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi group as non-Muslims. A decade later, they had been banned from calling themselves Muslims. They are banned from preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

“Four students Huzaifa Nasir, Aneela Aqib, Abeer Ahmad Saifi and Nimra Qureshi of Grade III, VI, IX and X respectively have been expelled by the administration of the school (Educators) for their faith in Attock city (some 400 km from Lahore),” Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya Punjab spokesperson Amir Mahmood instructed PTI.

He stated such incidents had taken place within the nation up to now and it was unlucky that the varsity in query instructed the dad and mom of the youngsters that “they have been expelled because of their faith”.

Mahmood stated this was a “dangerous trend” set by the tutorial establishments. “Such a trend will hamper the studies of Ahmadi students in Pakistan,” he stated.

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In the relieving letter, principal of the varsity Kulsoom Awan stated: “The above students are being withdrawn from the school on the basis of Qadianiat (Ahmadi) religion.” The faculty administration stated the expelled college students had been, in any other case, performing properly of their research.

According to an official, the varsity administration has taken the step on the complaints of some dad and mom who stated: “their children will not study in the class where Ahmadi students are present.” Minorities, particularly Ahmadis, are very susceptible in Pakistan and they’re usually focused by spiritual extremists.

A 62-year-old man from the Ahmadi group was stabbed to loss of life by a “religious fanatic” for refusing to reward a controversial cleric in Pakistan’s Punjab province final month.

Abdul Salam, a member of the Ahmadi group, was brutally stabbed to loss of life apparently for his religion in May this yr.

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Former army dictator Gen Zia-ul Haq had made it a punishable offence for Ahmadiyyas to name themselves Muslims or to discuss with their religion as Islam.

In Pakistan, round 10 million out of the 220 million inhabitants are non-Muslims. According to the 2017 census, Hindus represent the biggest spiritual minority (5 million) in Pakistan.

Christians make up the second largest spiritual minority, with virtually the identical quantity (4.5 million) and their focus is generally in city Sindh, Punjab and elements of Balochistan. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsi are additionally among the many notable spiritual minorities in Pakistan.

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