UN-backed independent experts urge Pakistan to end discrimination, violence against minority Ahmadis

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A panel of U.N.-backed independent experts has expressed grave concern about increased discrimination and violence against the minority Ahmadi community in Pakistan and urged authorities to ensure their protection. The experts, who work under a Human Rights Council mandate but do not speak for the United Nations, said in a statement Thursday they are alarmed by recent reports of violence and discrimination against Ahmadis. Ahmadis are adherents of Ahmadiyya, an Islamic messianic movement that originated in the late 19th century. Pakistan’s Parliament declared them non-Muslims in 1974, and they have been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists, drawing condemnation from domestic and international human right groups.