دورۂ قادیان 1991ء — Page 257
257 THE HINDU Gurgaon 29 Dec 1991 New Delhi Edition Leaders asked to work for religious harmony QADIAN (Punjab): Dec 28 The three-day annual convention of the Ahmediyya sect ended here this morning with a call by its chief Mirza Tahir Ahmed for communal peace۔He said a religion, if it preached hatred among mankind was not worth its name۔Religious leaders must work for harmony among different religions, he added۔He advised Sikh extremists to present their case before the people in India instead of resorting to terrorist activities۔Mirza Tahir Ahmed was born here and so was the Ahmediyya sect and then migrated to Pakistan۔He left Pakistan for London when Gen۔Zia ul Haq began "persecution" of Ahmediyyas۔He said his returning to his birth place after so many years gave him a heavenly feeling۔Ahmediyyas from about 50 countries attended the annual convention, which had acquired an added importance this year because of Mirza Tahir Ahmed's presence۔Further, this convention took place against the background of "continuing persecution" of Ahmediyyas in Pakistan۔In that country they were declared to be non-Muslim through a constitutional amendment in 1975 and 10 years later Gen Zia ul Haq, while on a tour of Sindh, shouted, "I send a curse on Ahmediyyas" when asked if he, too, was an Ahmediyya۔He followed up his "curse" with an order asking Ahmediyyas not to call their places of worship mosques۔- UNI