The Qadian Diary — Page 70
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad 56 The Ahmadiyya Community which is a world-wide organi- zation having branches not only in all parts of India but also in almost all foreign countries is a peaceful and law-abiding body, one of whose fundamental principles of faith is to co-operate with any lawfully established Government that might be in power. In view of this principle, we have repeatedly declared that as Qadian has been placed in East Punjab, the best efforts of our members there will be directed to prove as peaceful and as law-abiding citizens a of the Dominion of India as the Hindus or the Sikhs. On the other hand, the top-most leaders of India including Mahatma Gandhi and yourself have also repeatedly declared that such Muslims of the East Punjab as desire to stick to their homes and wish to live as peaceful and loyal citizens of India, will not be molested or in any way forced to leave their homes. In spite of these reciprocal decla- rations which, I believe, were without any mental reservation on either side, the local administration at Qadian or for that matter at Gurdaspur is, I am constrained to remark, not only pursuing a ruthless policy of harassment but also that of driving the Ahmadies out of their homes and Headquarters. Vexatious searches are being made, licensed weapons are being seized, responsible members of the Community are being arrested on purely made-up charg- es, innocent persons are being shot, houses are being looted (the house of the Head of the Ahmadiyya Community and that of Sir Mohammad Zafrullah Khan are among those that have been loot- ed), women are being forcibly carried away, scavengers are being prevented from cleaning the houses and flour mills are practically closed so that there is no atta left and people are forced to eat boiled wheat the stock of which is rapidly running short. A recent report is to the effect that even our private hospital at Qadian has been taken possession of by the Police and the Military. This is certainly a most shocking state of affairs in spite of your