Mob attacks mosque of Pakistan religious minority
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 December 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mob attacks mosque of Pakistan religious minority, 12 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a33e3.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 12, 2016
Pakistani officials say a mob of hundreds of people has attacked a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya religious minority.
Several people were reportedly wounded in the incident, which took place on December 12 in the Chakwal district, just outside Islamabad.
District deputy commissioner Mahmood Javed Bhatti said the mob hurled stones and bricks at the mosque before storming the building.
A local police official, Rashid Ahmad, said the attackers set fire to part of the mosque before police dispersed the crowd and secured the building.
A spokesman for the Ahmadiyya community, Saleem-ud-Din, said shots were also fired on the mosque's premises.
Parliament in mainly Sunni Muslim Pakistan declared members of the Ahmadiyya community non-Muslims in 1974, and they have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists.
Based on reporting by AP and Dawn
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
