In most of the cases, intolerance is the cardinal feature which dictates the relationship between the minority and the dominant group. Minorities all around the world suffer and the incident of New Zealand is the most recent example. So, usually, minorities have it hard and this statement remains true in the case of Pakistan too.
The recent murder of two doctors has deeply saddened many who lamented that the Ahmadi deaths are not even acknowledged in Pakistan
It's been hours since this news broke and not a whisper about it anywhere, be it in the media or by mainstream political figures. Forget condemnation or mourning, Ahmedi deaths aren't even acknowledged in Pakistan. https://t.co/RCgfQfBs9h
— Ammar Rashid (@AmmarRashidT) March 18, 2019
According to reports, two Ahmadi doctors went missing upon their visit to their land in the Attock district. Later, the dead bodies of both the doctors were found in a dam located in the same tehsil. The bodies were dumped in the dam near the property and were covered with sand. The sources state, that the dead bodies had signs of torture and gunshot wounds.
It is being suspected that three of the employees working on the land are allegedly involved in the murder,
According to the police, the suspects have been arrested from Peshawar and Mansehra. Moreover, the police have denied the reports of the murder being a hate crime. It is being asserted by the authorities that the murder was a product of a conflict over property ownership.
Why is this not all over the news? #AhmadisinPk Bodies Of Abducted Ahmadi Doctors Found In Fateh Jang https://t.co/EXV0lQ3K0s
— Anum Asi (@AnumAsi) March 18, 2019
People have commented how it’s a never-ending cycle of the persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan
Never ending cycle of persecution and violence against this peaceful community.
Two #Ahmadi doctors kidnapped & murdered in #Pakistan. @SecPompeo @IRF_Ambassador @KnoxThames @USCIRF https://t.co/a31GL7oKjO— Farahnaz Ispahani (@fispahani) March 18, 2019
Many were shocked due to the silence of media regarding the Ahmadi apartheid and they urged the media to cover the entire incident
Where the hell is paki media now after such brutal killings of two doctors in Pakistan. Big shame for media and so called new Pakistan https://t.co/34lw0CfBoU
— Rex Jan (@RexJan1) March 19, 2019
A meaningful comparison was drawn between the coverage of New Zealand incident and this murder of the doctors
They highlighted the fact that how minorities all over the world were being persecuted because of hate.
Pakistani government mourns abt New Zealand but no mention of these two #AhmediDoctors killed for in Fatehjang #Pakistan
https://t.co/Kqqq5FjAJs— Mumtaz Khan (@MumtaazKhan) March 18, 2019
There was disgust, horror, outrage and resentment against #ChristchurchMosqueAttack the other day. Condemnations& messages of solidarity poured in by the ministers& the citizenry but none of these uttered a word against abduction&killing of two ahmadi doctors. Hypocrisy galore.
— Auwn Gurmani (@auwn_) March 19, 2019
People asserted that the government should set their priorities right and pointed out the need for immediate and concrete steps on safeguarding minority rights
A few tried to unveil the ‘hypocrisy’ of the societal norms and values.
2 Ahmedi doctors abducted and murdered. How many attending their funeral, putting bouquets outside their homes, standing guard while they pray etc? Acha sorry. Mussalman ka sirf eeman mazboot hota hai.
— Umar Aftab Butt (@documaraftab) March 18, 2019
They even urged the Prime minister to AT LEAST condemn the attacks like he did with the New Zealand incident
Wonder when our Prime Minister will go to an Ahmedi mosque and pay for the families of the murdered Ahmedi doctors Dr. Aziz Ahmed Tahir & Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed. Hell, I wonder when you hypocrites will even start talking aboht it.#AhmadiApartheid
— Safa Imran (@notsafaimran) March 19, 2019
Bhai two Ahmedi doctors abducted and killed around Islamabad. Nothing to say? https://t.co/1Nb4PKemu6
— Riasat Ki Maut (@mahobili) March 18, 2019
However, there were some who pointed out that the murder might have been a product of land dispute and it should not be wrongly labeled as a hate crime
To clarify an earlier tweet, the two Ahmadi doctors found dead in Fateh Jang, Punjab, were apparently murdered over a land dispute and it was not a hate crime https://t.co/Zhf89dM2i1
— Bilal Farooqi (@bilalfqi) March 18, 2019
Two doctors, from Ahmedi community were murdered in Fateh Jang.
News reports and family explained it as a dispute over land while my fellow citizens are calling it a sectarian issue and presenting it as a hypocrisy of Pakistanis.
Wow! #Pakistan #Ahmadiyya— Fawad Ali (@HighonCarbz) March 19, 2019
Just spoke to the #Ahmadi spokesperson regarding the killing of two Ahmadi doctors in Pakistan. He says its not #faith_motivated but a property dispute. Clarifying this since I have seen many social media posts condemning it as faith-related violence.
— Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) March 18, 2019
There were people who still thought the Ahmadi identity was relevant to the entire case
Yes but there’s a pattern of picking up doctors from minority backgrounds, kidnapping them and killing for land, money etc.
The perpetrators know that their identities make them vulnerable and they are more likely to get away with it.
Their Ahmadi identity is relevant. https://t.co/RpzXHKsvgd
— Mashal Iftikhar (@DesiDocMI) March 18, 2019
Minority groups should be accepted as an integral part of the society and the culture of tolerance should be proliferated. Moreover, coexistence should be seen as an important value to ensure peace in the society.
Cover image via: @khwamkhwah/Twitter and rabwah.net