Why were 3 members of Ahmadi community arrested in Pakistan on Eid?

The complainants alleged that the accused had committed a cognisable offence as they performed a ritual in line with Islamic beliefs and presented themselves as Muslims despite being Ahmadis.

Three members of the Ahmadi community were arrested in Faisalabad city of Pakistan for allegedly hurting Muslim sentiments by sacrificing animals on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, Pakistani website Dawn reported.According to the FIR, the complainants were present in the mosque after the Friday prayers when they came to know that the members of Ahmadi community had sacrificed animals inside their homes, the website reported.

In a letter addressed to the interior secretary, it was stated that article and Section 198-C prevented the Ahmadis from posing themselves as Muslims and performing Islamic practices. (Representative photo / REUTERS)

The complainants then reached the area and climbed the roofs of nearby houses to find that the members of Ahmadi community had sacrificed a goat at one place, while other members were slitting the throat of another animal at a different place, Dawn quoted the FIR.

The complainants alleged that the accused had committed a cognisable offence as they performed a ritual in line with Islamic beliefs and presented themselves as Muslims despite being Ahmadis.

However, the Ahmadi community spokesperson Saleemuddin told the Pakistani website that the sacrifice was performed within the confines of a house and not in a public place, further alleging that the community is being persecuted. Earlier this month, Pakistan's religious affairs ministry had asked the interior ministry to implement Article 260 (3) of the Pakistani constitution which classifies segments of society as non-Muslims. In a letter addressed to the interior secretary, it was stated that article and Section 198-C prevented the Ahmadis from posing themselves as Muslims and performing Islamic practices. Since 1974, the Ahmadis have been barred from calling themselves as Muslims, with the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR stating that they are a persecuted community in Pakistan and should be protected. The adherents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim religious movement are referred to as Ahmadis, and they follow the Islamic scriptures. But they also believe their movement's founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was a messiah.