What occurred in the rural village Peeru Chak of Sialkot was not a dispute over a burial place after someone’s death, but rather proof of a moral and mental corruption that has spread through our community. An Ahmadi woman by the name of Qudsia Tabassum, was not permitted to be buried in her own cemetery. Even in death she was denied land on the basis of her identity. The act of preventing her burial, after a few days, turned into an open barbarity. Attacks were carried out on Ahmadis’ homes, tents and shops were set alight and parked cars, tractors and even livestock were destroyed by the fire. In a single day there was an attempt to turn a whole community’s livelihood, honour and existence into ashes.
All this was not sudden. The hostile environment against Ahmadis in Peeru Chak is nothing new. For years, they have not been allowed to be buried in their own cemetery. In the past two and a half years, the bodies of more than six Ahmadis had to be taken to faraway places for burial. This denies them not only their rights to property and residence on this land, but now even the right to burial. When protests arose against all this, they were met with attacks on homes and livelihoods.
The question here is: who is ultimately orchestrating these attacks? Locals know how groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik fuel such conflicts. Arson, sieges, and riots do not appear to be mere local disputes, they are the deliberate actions of organised extremists, whom the state has either tolerated for years or temporarily used for its political objectives. And this is the greatest tragedy, that those who should have been restrained were left free.
This incident occurred at a time when Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Army Chief were standing at the United Nations, extolling human rights. There, they were preaching lessons of justice to the world, raising their voices for Palestine and Kashmir. Yet inside the country, not even the grave of an Ahmadi is safe. Homes were set on fire, livelihoods were destroyed, yet no major group or organisation was openly arrested. This is the hypocrisy that makes Pakistan appear hollow and unreliable to the world.
We must accept that the problem goes deeper than just poverty or politics, it is the death of justice and conscience. If even the grave becomes a subject of division, then where does this society stand? Whether it be an Ahmadi or anyone else, denying someone’s basic human rights is, in fact, weakening Pakistan itself. The Prime Minister and the Army Chief need to understand that before giving speeches at international forums, their duty is to extinguish the fire burning inside their own country.
The burning homes and shops in Peeru Chak are not just a tragedy for Ahmadis, but rather a shameful stain on Pakistan’s collective conscience. Until the state takes practical, uncompromising action against those extremists, regardless of the religious guise they hide behind, this fire will keep spreading, and one day it will reach every doorstep.
A small difference is visible now: this time the Sialkot police, proving they were carrying out their duty, took action against the extremists and filed dozens of counter-terrorism cases. But sadly, Bar Associations in several cities registered protests against this action, not because they were concerned about the crimes being committed against Ahmadis, but because ‘Muslims’ had been arrested. As if the severity of a crime should be judged by a person’s religious belief rather than by the nature of the offence. This bizarre and ignorant logic shows how far our justice system has lost its way.
The Peeru Chak incident reminds us that the true job of courts, bar bodies, and state institutions is not to give speeches or rallies, but to provide real justice by protecting communities and safeguarding human rights. Until the law is applied equally to all, this fire and hatred will continue to consume our society. And remember that the ashes of Peeru Chak are not only of houses and shops, they are the ashes of our conscience, our justice, and the weakness of the state. Unless this blaze is put out, it will reduce every person, every community, and society as a whole to ashes.
متعلقہ
پیرو چک یا کہیں بھی، یہ بربریت بند ہونی چاہئے۔ از، مونا فاروق
گھٹن کے خوف سے آب و ہوا تبدیل کر لیتے ، از ، طاہر احمد بھٹی
ہمارا کوئی کالم پرانا نہیں ہو پاتا، از ، طاہر احمد بھٹی