Al Islam

It is with great sadness that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat confirms that another member of its Jamaat, Mr Rana Salim of Sanghir District, Sindh was shot dead on 26 November 2009.

Mr Salim was walking out from the Baitul Hamd mosque after the evening prayers when he was shot at point blank range. He was rushed to hospital but died prior to arrival. The Asian Human Rights Commission confirmed that the local police did not arrive until very late and subsequently failed to file any proper report or conduct a proper investigation. Locals have confirmed that recently a number of Ahmadis in the area, including Mr Salim, had been receiving frequent threats. The police had been made aware of these threats but refused to take any action.

Mr Salim devoted his life to his passion for education. He and his wife ran the prestigious ‘New Life’ public school and they were routinely praised for providing an excellent standard of education. Indeed jealously at the high performance of the school is one of the reasons that local extremists had targeted Ahmadis in the recent past.

Regarding the continued attacks on Ahmadis in Pakistan, the Asian Human Rights Commission reported on 27 November 2009:

“The State consistently fails in its responsibility to protect them (Ahmadis), despite repeated claims by the current administration that it represents the best interests of minorities in the country. The impunity seen to be enjoyed by those who commit crimes against Ahmadis only further encourages discriminatory violence.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, led the funeral prayer of the deceased in absentia on 27 November 2009. Prior to this he said:

“Mr Rana Salim ran the ‘New Life’ school in Sanghir District in which around 1000 students are currently enrolled. The standard of the school is very high… The deceased is survived by his wife, two daughters and one son. May God grant his family patience at this time and may He elevate the status of the deceased in heaven.”