The Qadian Diary — Page 24
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad 24 Arab lawyer, Syed Munir al-Hasni, who was visiting Qadian from Syria. He too saw first-hand much of this violence play out. Then further, in October of 1947 two independent British journalists, Douglas Brown and Josselyn Hennessy, visited Qadian for the specific purpose of investigating and reporting on the situation in the town. Their reports were published in the Daily Telegraph on 13 and 17 October, as well as the Daily Graphic , London, of 13 October. Again, the well-renowned Anglo-Indian journal of Lahore, the Civil & Military Gazette , reported on the crimes and atrocities committed in Qadian and confirmed news of the excesses committed in the town through independent witnesses. See the Civil & Military Gazette , Lahore, of 23 October 1947. These reports have also been corroborated by the office of the Colonial Secretary, Singapore, which citing the British Secretary of State for the Colonies affirms that a British representative, a certain Mr Stephenson, visited Qadian on 11 October and verified reports that the town was under continued and heavy attack which had resulted in murder, looting and destruction. This can be confirmed by a letter dated 10 January 1948 sent by the office of the Colonial Secretary in Singapore, to the Ahmadiyya missionary in charge of Singapore. People often ask whether the members of the community resist- ed the Sikh militias, which attacked Qadian and its surrounds. On this the head of the community was clear: if the militias attacked alone, they were to be resisted and repelled, however, if they were supported by the police or the military Ahmadis were not to resist them, and instead leave the matter up to God. In accordance with these instructions the Ahmadi residents of Qadian unflinchingly resisted the attacks of the militias and in the majority of instances got the better of them. However, when this violence was assisted and supported by the authorities (as was common in the latter days