A mosque belonging to the Ahmadi community in Pakistan's Karachi was vandalised by unknown miscreants on Thursday.

The place of worship for the minority community, Ahmadiyya Hall, was built in the 1950s according to community members.

The incident took place in the jurisdiction of Preedy police station at around 3:30 pm when unidentified men, chanting slogans against the community, vandalised the minarets of the worship place.

"Qadiani prayer place being attacked by extremists in Karachi, Hashoo Market Saddar," tweeted The Rise News, a non-profit news organization.

In the video posted by them on Twitter, unknown persons wearing helmets were seen breaking the minarets of the Ahmadi Masjid in Saddar, Karachi, and escaping thereafter. Some reports suggest that police were also present at the spot and the attackers were from Pakistan's Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). 

“The community is in touch with the police,” said SHO Preedy Sajjad Khan. Talking to The Express Tribune, Khan said that the miscreants also attacked the policemen.

“We will register the case, if the community does not come forward,” he added.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the spokesman of the Ahmadi community Amir Mehmood condemned the incident and lamented that the police failed to control the attackers. He maintained that recently, worship places belonging to his community were being targeted across Pakistan.

Mehmood added that another worship place located on Martin Road was vandalized on January 18. “A case was registered but no one was arrested,” he added.

Last month, a historical worship place of the Ahmadi community situated at Moti Bazar, Wazirabad, which was established back in 1905, was allegedly desecrated by the district administration, The Express Tribune reported. 

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the desecration of the Ahmadiyya worship site in Wazirabad district and called for the protection of such places of religious minorities in the country.

"HRCP strongly condemns the desecration of a historical Ahmadiyya site of worship in Wazirabad, allegedly by the district administration on 10 January," the rights group said in a statement posted on its Twitter handle. 

According to HRCP, the Wazirabad administration must compensate the local Ahmadiyya community for its action and ensure such an incident does not recur.

Furthermore, Geneva Daily reported that the approximately 4 million-strong Pakistani Ahmadiyya community is subjected to extensive torture, religious persecution by self-declared Islamic leaders, and discrimination by institutions and the general public. 
 

Image courtesy: Twitter/The Rise News