The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 136
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI. PERSECUTION IN PAKISTAN g. After the partition of Indian Subcontinent into India and. Pakistan in 1947, the majority of Ahmadis (members of the. Ahmadiyya Movement) were to be found in Pakistan. The Chief of the Movement at the time was Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din. Mahmood Ahmad who was a very able leader and in fact was a great genius and a scholar. He founded a new town in Pakistan, called. Rabwah, and made it the international headquarters. . There have been successive waves of persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan generally by collusion of ambitious politicians and fanatic. . Maulvies (Mullas) which have swayed ignorant masses and resulting in Anti Ahmadiyya agitation. The first organized agitation of this sort occurred in the early fifties culminating in Anti Ahmadiyya riots in. Lahore in 1953 and to their control during which Martial-Law had to be imposed by Central Government. The government instituted a commission of inquiry headed by Justice Munir. . The report of inquiry commission was published and is well known. Parts of the report are interesting and brilliant in exposing the bigotry and political self interest of many of the parties involved. One interesting fact reported was that not even two Muslim divines. (Maulvies or Ulema) agreed upon the minimum definition of a. Muslim. They had interviewed a large number of them. It seems that recitation and belief in Kalima which has been accepted as the Basic requirement to become a Muslim since the days of the Holy Prophet, is not enough for these mullahs. Kalima means that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet. The politician, Mumtaz. Daultana who spearheaded this agitation in Punjab for political ambitions was thrown out of office and never held public office since then. . The second wave of agitation and persecution of Ahmadis occurred in 1974 with the initiative and blessings of Prime Minister. Bhutto and his government. Riots broke out in many cities resulting 136