A local court has dismissed the post-arrest bail application of 22 Ahmadis, including two minors, who were arrested on 28th February 2025 for offering religious prayers in Daska, District Sialkot.
The ruling was issued by Magistrate 30, Daska Sialkot, Mr. Qaiser Hussain, rejecting the plea for release. The arrested individuals remain in custody following their judicial remand, which was granted earlier amid pressure from a mob demanding legal action against them.
The issue began on 28th February 2025, when police in Daska, District Sialkot, arrested 22 Ahmadis, including two minors, from their place of worship following pressure from a charged mob. The mob gathered outside the Ahmadiyya worship site, chanting slogans and demanding police action. Instead of providing protection, authorities arrested the worshippers under Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which criminalises Ahmadi religious practices. The magistrate later sent 22 of them to jail on judicial remand, sparking widespread concern over religious persecution in Pakistan.
The case has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights advocates and Ahmadiyya community leaders, who have denounced the arrests as a clear violation of religious freedom.