Sunni extremists in Pakistan have demolished a historical mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Punjab province, the latest attack on the minority group in the Muslim-majority country.
A persecuted minority sect, the Ahmadiyya community was declared non-Muslims in Pakistan through a constitutional amendment in 1974 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The latest mob attack took place in Sialkot last night.
As the local municipal administration started demolishing a private property of an Ahmadiyya follower, about 600 miscreants demolished the nearby mosque later. Ahmadiyya spokesman Saleemuddin said in a statement that the mob launched the attack around 11 pm and it continued till 3 am (local time). “The place of worship and the house that has been demolished by the mob in Sialkot have great historical significance for members of the Ahmadiyya community all over the world,” he said.