On Monday, a High Court in Pakistan rejected the bail application of two Ahmadis brothers for allegedly marrying Muslim women, reported Rabwah Times. It is important to note that although the Ahmadis are Muslim by faith, they are considered non-Muslims in the Islamic State of Pakistan.
In a ruling, Justice Syed Arshan Ali denied bail to Zaid and Zahid along with their father Sajid in connection to the case. Zaid and Zahid had married Sobia and Salma in June last year in Sheikh Muhammadi area in Peshawar, Pakistan. On September 29 last year, they were charged with marriage fraud and blasphemy and detained by the police.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against them under Sections 298C (Ahmadi/Qadiani calling himself Muslim or preaching faith) and 493A (deceitful cohabitation inducing a belief of lawful marriage) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). This is not the first time that such an incident has come to light. Ever since Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims through a constitutional amendment in 1974, they have been subjected to violence, discrimination and false cases of blasphemy.
Ahmadi professor shot dead by a colleague
In October last year, a Pakistani Ahmadi professor was shot dead by another Muslim professor in the northwest city of Peshawar. It was alleged that they got into a heated argument over a religious matter. The professor who lost his life has been identified as Dr Naeemuddin Khattak, aka Naeem Khattak. He was attacked by Professor Farooq Maad and another gunman when he was driving to his college.
Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya Pakistan spokesperson Saleemuddin said in a statement that Professor Khattak was killed due to his Ahmadi faith. He alleged that Naeem had faced threats and boycott in the past. Naeem was a faculty member at Government Superior Science College Peshawar. He is now survived by his widowed wife, two sons, and three daughters