Anti-Ahmadi banners outside Punjab university spark outrage in Pakistan

Extremist groups put up anti-Ahmadi banners outside a university in Punjab. The incident has sharpened scrutiny after UN experts warned of persistent persecution in Pakistan.Stock photo used for illustrationExtremist elements on Tuesday put up banners with derogatory and hostile messages against Ahmadis outside a university in Pakistan's Punjab province, a day after UN experts voiced grave concern over continuing discrimination, violence and legal restrictions targeting the minority community.The display was condemned by Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, which called for the banners to be removed immediately and asked law-enforcement agencies to identify those responsible and act against them under relevant laws. The incident has also renewed concerns over the use of religious rhetoric and public spaces to target vulnerable minority communities in the country.Several banners were displayed along Sargodha University Road, around 200 kilometres from Lahore. They called for the exclusion and social boycott of Ahmadis. Some described Ahmadis as "disloyal to Pakistan", demanded their removal from key positions and called for their complete boycott. One banner read, "We hate Qadianiyat," referring to the community.Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya Pakistan said differences in religious beliefs must never become a basis for spreading hatred against any sect or community. Calling for the immediate removal of the banners, it urged the authorities to identify those who erected them and proceed against them under the law. "Spreading hatred against individuals or communities on the basis of their beliefs is condemnable and a violation of the law," the statement said, adding that the state had a responsibility to protect all citizens from incitement, discrimination and violence. On Monday, UN experts expressed grave concern over continuing reports of discrimination, violence and legal restrictions faced by members of the Ahmadi community in Pakistan. They urged Islamabad to break the "pattern of impunity" that allows perpetrators to act without restraint. "Every individual has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. No one should be subjected to discrimination, intimidation or violence, nor should they be prevented from peacefully manifesting their faith or face discrimination in the enjoyment of any of their human rights," they said.The UN experts also flagged reports of attacks on Ahmadi places of worship, desecration of graves, interference with peaceful religious observance, arrests and prosecutions linked to religious practices or identity, and hate speech. Pakistan's Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadiyya community as non-Muslims. A decade later, they were barred from calling themselves Muslims. They are also banned from preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. The anti-Ahmadi banners displayed in Punjab, the community's demand for action and the fresh concerns raised by UN experts together underline the continuing pressure faced by Ahmadis in Pakistan.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 8, 2026 17:08 IST