A man from the Ahmadiyya community was killed in Karachi by a mob of radical Islamists. The attackers, affiliated with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, beat him to death. The incident highlights ongoing persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan, with no charges brought against the attackers. The Human Rights Commission condemned the law enforcement failure.

A man was killed in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday following an attack by a mob of radical Islamists targeting the Ahmadiyya community, according to authorities. The group had previously surrounded a place of worship belonging to this persecuted religious minority.

Amir Mahmood, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community, confirmed that a 47-year-old car workshop owner was killed in the assault. Senior police official Muhammad Safdar verified the death, stating to AFP: "One member of the community was killed after the mob identified him as an Ahmadi. They attacked him with sticks and bricks."

According to Dawn newspaper, Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza stated that around 400 workers from the hardline Islamist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had gathered near the mobile market close to the place of worship. The TLP, a group with a history of being temporarily banned in Pakistan, had been involved in the violence.

The deceased, described as a well-known figure within the Ahmadiyya community, was reportedly passing through the area about 100-150 meters from the worship site when TLP members recognized him and began assaulting him. Mahmood told Dawn that the attack ultimately led to the man’s death.

Police were able to disperse the mob, allowing those trapped inside the building to escape. Authorities reported that dozens of people were taken into protective custody. An AFP journalist witnessed individuals being transported in prison vans, though the fate of the detainees remains unclear, and no charges have been reported against the mob members.

The Ahmadiyya community has long faced persecution in Pakistan, where they are considered heretics by the state. It is illegal for Ahmadis to identify as Muslims or to use Islamic symbols, and they are often barred from voting. The group traces its origins to a reformist theologian in the late 1800s and views itself as a "Muslim reform group." Worldwide, there are an estimated 12 million Ahmadiyyas, including over 40,000 in Germany.

Violence against the Ahmadiyya community has escalated in recent years, despite the group enduring decades of persecution in Pakistan. On Friday, members of the mob claimed that their goal was to pressure local authorities into arresting members of the Ahmadiyya community.

Abdul Qadir Ashrafi, speaking to AFP, stated, "We requested that the place be sealed and that those conducting the Friday prayers be arrested, with criminal proceedings initiated against them."

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the attack, describing it as a "failure of law and order" and a "stark reminder of the continued complicity of the state in the systematic persecution of a beleaguered community." The HRCP called for the swift identification, arrest, and prosecution of the attackers, stressing that authorities should not cave to pressure from the far-right to release those responsible for the assault.