Overview

• Punjab and Sindh governments have warned of Rs5 lakh (PKR) fines for any Ahmadiyya Muslim who performs Eid al-Adha rituals, including private animal sacrifice.
• Police in multiple districts have detained community members and coerced them into signing affidavits pledging not to observe the holiday under threat of penalties.
• Legal experts say Pakistani statutes contain no explicit ban on private qurbani by Ahmadis, making the affidavit requirement an unconstitutional overreach.
• The Ahmadiyya community has been legally marginalized since a 1974 constitutional amendment declared them non-Muslim and 1984’s Ordinance XX criminalized their religious practices.
• Persecution has escalated recently, with about 100 Ahmadiyya graves desecrated by hardline activists in March and at least 36 arbitrary arrests in June 2024 to block Eid sacrifices.