At least 200,000 members of Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi community will be boycotting next month’s election in protest of their treatment by the authorities, a spokesman said.
“We have been boycotting the election process since 1985 when Ahmadi voters were put in the list of religious minorities,” Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya spokesman Saleemuddin said.
He said the community wanted its voters to be included in the joint electorate system.
“We will stay away from the election and boycott the polls to register our protest,” he said.
Pakistan goes to the polls on May 11 for a general election that should see the first democratic transition from one civilian government to another after the completion of a five-year mandate.
Election registration forms require voters to give their religion and address and Ahmadis refuse to complete them for fear of being attacked. Their graveyards are often targeted and in 2010 nearly 100 people were killed in Lahore after militants stormed two Ahmadi prayer halls.
We will miss our Ahmadi brothers in Elections. I think they reconsider their decision. You will see the fate of extremist parties like Jamat i Islami. They should vote and participate. Allah says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ ﴿
Your boycott will not make much difference.
The boycott will make a huge difference in more ways than one. I am giving a partial list in the following:
1. The boycott will keep us loyal to the Holy Prophet of Islam
2. The boycott will keep us loyal to our faith regarding the status of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community
3. It will help us in remaining steadfast in our faith despite being denied of human and civic rights, thus enabling us to continue to sacrifice for the faith
4. It will enable us continue to present to the world our stand (which is acepted globally now) of one citizen one vote. This is the principal on which Pakistan was founded
Couldn't agree more with you IbneMaryam
Is this not an interesting new frontier in 'official' discrimination that there is one joint list for all the Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Sikh, Christian and Buddist voters, but one Separate list for the 'Non-Muslim' Ahmadis?
No sir, God bless your Elections; we are not a part of it. And you will see that it will make the difference – contact me 6 months hence.
Khalid
An Ahmadi
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