In a poignant display of frustration, Pakistan’s minority Hindu community gathered outside the Jhuddo Press Club in Mirpurkhas to protest against the perceived failure of the police to apprehend a bold gang of thieves. The protesters, carrying placards and banners, claimed that the Shiv Mahadev temple had been targeted three times in the past one-and-a-half months.

The demonstration unfolded as the community sought to draw attention to the recurring thefts as well as the apparent lack of action by local law enforcement. Chanting slogans against the police, the protesters informed the media that they had repeatedly alerted authorities about an unknown group of thieves who had broken into the temple multiple times, stealing gold jewelry, valuables, and antiques.

Despite lodging several complaints, the protesters expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the police had not taken notice of the crimes thus far. They demanded immediate action from the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mirpurkhas and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to ensure the recovery of the stolen goods.

The demonstrators stressed the urgency of the situation and called on the police to not only arrest the criminals responsible for the thefts but also ensure they face appropriate legal consequences. The community’s protest highlights the need for swift and effective measures to address the security concerns of minority communities and protect places of worship. The minorities, especially Hindus have been primarily targeted because of different religion. The bigoted Islamists have in past vandalised and plundered temples in Pakistan. The incident is latest and underscores a need for urgent redressal of persecution of Hindus.

In a deeply unsettling incident, unknown assailants targeted an Ahmadiyya mosque in the Dastgir area of Karachi. The attackers reportedly chanted slogans against the Ahmadiyya community during the assault, heightening concerns about the safety and security of this religious minority in Pakistan.

The Ahmadiyyas, who played a pivotal role in the propagation of the idea of an Islamic nation named Pakistan during the partition, now find themselves marginalized in the same country they helped shape. Despite their historical contributions, the Ahmadiyya community faces widespread discrimination, with many muslims in Pakistan not recognizing them as fellow Muslims. This exclusion is further exacerbated by the existence of legislation that explicitly declares them non-Muslims.

Why Ahmadiyyas are not considered Muslims in Pakistan?

Notably, the Ahmadiyya muslim community is a sect within Islam founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the late 19th century. While it keeps faith in almost all Islamic tenets, few contradictions have become reason for their eviction from mainstream Islam.

As per Islam, Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet with Quran being the last religiously text. However, Ahmadiyyas believe Muhammad of being prophet but not the last. According to them, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the last prophet, often referred to by the followers as promises Mahdi or Messiah awaited by Muslims.

Apparently, every religion has followers with diverse beliefs and faiths, but the escalation of animosity is a threat to the peace and tranquility in the society.

In 1974, the Pakistani establishment officially declared Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims, setting the stage for more restrictive measures a decade later. In 1984, a law was passed in Pakistan’s parliament that not only designated Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims but also prohibited them from identifying themselves as Muslims. The legislation went so far as to deny them the right to construct mosques with minarets, elements considered essential to Islamic architecture.

As a result of these discriminatory measures, number of Ahmadiyya mosques have frequently become targets of attacks. The latest incident, captured on CCTV cameras, has sent shockwaves through the community, raising concerns about their very existence in Pakistan.

The violence on the worship place, leaving the Ahmadiyya community members in a state of fear and vulnerability. The assault is seen as not just an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of persecution faced by the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.

Early on Thursday morning, the Israeli troops opened fire in Gaza City on a desperate crowd that gathered around aid trucks and killed over a hundred Palestinians. This incident has left the world in shock as the plight of innocent Gaza citizens has deepened. This incident has widened the ongoing crisis as the US president, Joe Biden, warned it would complicate ceasefire talks. However, there were different accounts of how the victims died in the chaos that took place near Gaza City in the north of the strip.

The Israeli military said that the majority of the victims were either run over by trucks or died in a crash while attempting to flee, however, they denied firing into a large crowd of war-torn innocent starving people.

According to a spokesman, soldiers ‘only’ opened fire on a small group that moved away from the trucks and approached a checkpoint. Israel said some Palestinians began heading towards Israeli forces in a way that “endangered” them.

According to witnesses and survivors, starving crowds surrounding the relief trucks were hit by bullets. Mohammed Salha, the acting director of the al-Awda hospital, which treated 161 patients, said that the majority of them seemed to have been shot. Another witness told a news channel that lorries had run over the majority of the dead.

Furthermore, Gaza health officials said Israeli forces opened fire on an aid distribution point, resulting in at least 112 deaths and 280 injuries. One of the victims Ali Awad Ashqir said that after he went to get some food for his starving family, he had to wait two hours for the trucks to come.

“The occupation army opened fire with artillery shells and guns as soon as they arrived,” he claimed.

The incident led to an emergency session by the UN Security Council, where the White House demanded that the deaths be “thoroughly investigated”. However, Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, rightfully said that Palestinians are paying the price of paralysis at the UNSC.

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

As a result of this attack, more than 30,000 people have died. Almost one in twenty of Gaza’s pre-war population is now a victim of attacks, with over 70,000 more people injured and thousands more unaccounted-for victims buried beneath the debris of crumbling buildings.
More than 25,000 women and children have been killed by Israel since October 7, 2023.

The survivors are plagued by widespread malnutrition, which has already claimed the lives of some children, and “pockets of starvation,” which are reportedly most common in the north. There is also a severe shortages of clean water, shelter, and medical supplies.

Poor Gazans are dying in desperation while attempting to reach food aid. This highlights the severity of shortages in the northern region surrounding Gaza City. UN observers have said that there is a blockade inside a blockade, with extra Israeli restrictions, this makes the supplies entering northern Gaza even more difficult than entering the southern region.

Kamel Abu Nahel, an injured survivor, said that after two months of consuming animal feed, he went to the aid distribution point in the middle of the night in the hopes of finding food supplies.

However, after trucks arrived and a crowd gathered, Israeli soldiers opened fire. People dispersed to save their lives, but they returned as soon as the gunfire subsided. However, the soldiers started shooting again, and Abu Nahel got hit in the leg by one of the bullets before being hit by a speeding truck.

Hoping for Peace

Videos circulated on social media seemed to show medical personnel walking next to a cart filled with injured people; some injured people had to be transported to hospitals on donkey carts. The hospital corridors were packed with family members and survivors.
The majority of the casualties were the result of a crush that occurred around a few trucks in the convoy after it had initially passed the Israeli military checkpoint into northern Gaza.

Subsequently, he claimed, the mobs pursuing the last truck in the convoy turned and headed back in the direction of the checkpoint, causing the soldiers to open fire in self-defence, followed by warning shots. It is not clear who had provided the food trucks.
About 300,000 people are estimated to be living in northern Gaza even after Israel ordered all civilians to evacuate several months ago. Some were unable to travel, others felt that they would rather take their chances at home, and still others feared they would not find a place to stay in the south’s packed shelters.

The life of ordinary Gazans is becoming miserable day by day, with no support and refuge from the outside.,they are trapped and in control under Israel who is raining hell. The pain of starving Gazans who were shot at and killed indiscriminately is immense. They are left at the mercy of their perpetrators, only time will tell if any Gazan will survive to see peace.