SIALKOT: A first information report (FIR) was registered on Monday against multiple suspects for allegedly attacking and vandalizing properties belonging to the Ahmadi community in Piro Chak village on Sunday night. The police report, available with Dawn.com, cites charges under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including dacoity, assault, and promoting enmity between groups.
The incident, which took place around 8 p.m. on Sunday, saw a mob of 200-250 people, armed with weapons and sticks, gathering in the village. They were reportedly incited against the Ahmadi community, leading to violent actions such as looting, property destruction, and setting houses on fire. The police, who arrived at the scene, struggled to control the mob due to their limited numbers, prompting them to call for reinforcements.
The violence followed a religious dispute that began earlier in the month, when the burial of an Ahmadi woman was denied at a local graveyard. This denial of burial rights fueled religious tensions, with hate-driven propaganda against the Ahmadi community, which led to Sunday’s violence. Five people, including both Ahmadi and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) members, were injured, with one person from the Ahmadi community shot in the incident.
According to Sialkot’s District Police Officer (DPO), Faisal Shehzad, two cases were registered — one against the Ahmadi community members and another against their adversaries. The violence was reportedly escalated by a previous altercation on Saturday, where TLP members set fire to Ahmadi-owned property in retaliation for a beating by community members. The situation has since been brought under control, with anti-riot police deployed to the area.
This attack in Sialkot comes less than a month after similar incidents in Faisalabad and Daska, where the TLP was involved in violent acts against the Ahmadi community.
