Pakistan has found yet another way to showcase its talent for religious discrimination. This time, the spotlight falls on Eid, a festival supposedly about unity and brotherhood. But unity has no room in Pakistan’s Sunni-majority interpretation of faith. Ahmadis, who identify as Muslims, are once again being criminalized for simply existing. Their crime? Daring to celebrate Eid.
State-Backed Sectarianism: A Legacy of Persecution
Recent reports confirm that Sunni Peaceful groups, backed by local clerics and law enforcement, barred Ahmadi citizens from holding any Eid gatherings in multiple Pakistani towns. In some cases, even greeting someone with “Eid Mubarak” was deemed an offence. Police issued warnings. Clerics issued threats. The message was clear: this Eid is not yours.
Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims by Pakistan’s Constitution since 1974. Their places of worship can’t be called mosques. Their prayers can’t be called salah. Celebrating Islamic festivals? That too is illegal under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
This year, the state took its crackdown to a new level. Reports confirm that Ahmadis were forced to sign affidavits in Punjab and Sindh declaring they would not perform Eid rituals. Violations invite a penalty of up to PKR 5 lakh, nearly ₹1.5 lakh, and potential jail time. Amnesty International noted at least 36 arrests before Eid even began.
When Peacefuls Clash: Not Just Against “Others”
This isn’t some rogue act by fringe extremists. This is institutional. The same Peacefuls who scream about Islamophobia abroad are busy inflicting sectarian apartheid at home. Eid, a day that should transcend boundaries, becomes another weapon in the long war between Islamic sects.
Even the dead aren’t spared. Ahmadi graves are defaced. Eid sermons include condemnations of Ahmadi beliefs. Public celebrations are met with baton charges and arrests.
The Liberal Double Standard: Silence is Complicity
Where are the NGOs? The “secularists” who explode in outrage over Hindu rituals? When a diya is lit on Diwali, they scream about pollution. When Holi is played, they fret over water usage. But when Ahmadis are denied even the right to say “Eid Mubarak,” these same warriors of justice are silent.
Amnesty International did issue a token statement calling the crackdown discriminatory, but no protests, no international pressure, and no celebrities shedding tears. If they truly cared, there would have been global outrage, sanctions talk, and human rights debates. But when the persecutors are Peacefuls, even human rights become optional.
A Festival of Hypocrisy, Not Unity
Every year, Eid becomes a reminder of hypocrisy. In Pakistan, it’s not a celebration. It’s a sect marker, a loyalty test, a sword drawn against internal dissent. Sunni clerics dictate who qualifies to smile on Eid.
Yet the world looks away. Because criticizing intra-Peaceful persecution is inconvenient. It breaks the neat narrative of “oppressor and oppressed” used to shame every other faith.
Final Words: What Unity?
If the Peacefuls can’t even agree on who gets to celebrate Eid, what unity are they preaching to others? Pakistan’s treatment of Ahmadis isn’t just a human rights violation. It is a mirror reflecting the deep fractures within the ummah. Fractures that can’t be blamed on colonialism, Israel, or India.
If lighting a diya causes outrage, why not the denial of an Eid?
Because in the world of selective outrage, only some lives matter.