Yasser Latif Hamdani

1634 Words4 Pages

This text written by Yasser Latif Hamdani highlights the political, physical and social injustices experienced by Ahmadis living in Pakistan. Hamdani is Lawyer based in Lahore. He got his education from the University of Punjab and Rutgers University. His famous cases include the Bhagat case and the Youtube case. He is well known for his advocacy to end the persecution of Ahmadis and to give them equal voting rights. His purpose in writing this text is to inform the people of Pakistan, especially the Muslims, of the persecution is being endured by the Ahmadis. This text was written in 2012, but it has become relevant once again recently due to the increasing attacks on Ahmadis and their places of worship these days.

In the text, Yasser informs the Pakistani people of all the major injustices done with Ahmadis. He starts off with the fact that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani and all the members of the Pakistan People’s Party look favourably upon the 1974 constitutional amendment, which declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims and view it as an achievement. He tells us that Ahmadis are educated people and struggled for Pakistan throughout the 1940s and the opposition against them started in 1953, but the government was able to put down the riots and protests. By 1974 Ahmadis were constitutionally declared non-Muslims and by 1984 they could not legally identify themselves as Muslims. The identification law was challenged constitutionally, but the courts dismissed the challenge. Since the law passed in 1974, Ahmadis have been persecuted greatly by the Pakistani people. Many examples of persecution are given in the text. In Rawalpindi, the police stopped Ahmadis from offering Eid prayer at their place of worship, t...

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...ustices which are being endured by the Ahmadis. It tells us that how the Ahmadis are being deprived of their basic human rights by using examples and facts which are a result of an extensive research. The examples are relevant and speak for themselves without any exaggeration. The vocabulary used is relatable by the audience and is quite effective. At the end, the reader realises that Pakistan is not a safe place for Ahmadis and thinks about what can be done to make the situation better.

Total Words: 1872

Works Cited
Hamdani, Yasser L. "Do Ahmadis Deserve to Live in Pakistan?" Editorial. The Friday Times Aug.-Sept. 2012: n. pag. The Friday Times. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .

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