Atif Mian
On Thursday, June 5th, the principal of Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, expelled every student who belonged to the Ahmadi community from the college.
A total of twenty three students, fifteen female and eight male, across the five years of medical school have been expelled as a result. Further details regarding the incident can also be found in reports from the BBC and from the Daily Times.
The Ahmadi students were “accused” of preaching their religious beliefs. The principal was pressured into expelling the entire Ahmadi student body by a mob of protesters belonging to Islami Jamiat e Talaba. The mob circled the Principal’s office and demanded the expulsions. The same day, a mob of about 300 college students also barged into Ahmadi students’ rooms, beat them and threw their luggage out of their rooms.
What makes this incident especially troubling is the fact that the decision to expel Ahmadi students was taken by a government-run medical school, under full knowledge of the relevant Punjab ministries.
As an academic, and a Pakistani, I am totally appalled by this latest incidence of religious fanaticism. One hopes that the present Punjab government turns a page, and instead of supporting the forces of extremism, comes to the protection of its ordinary citizens.
Atif Mian is Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.
“When General Zia-ul-Haq, the military dictator who passed the oppressive anti-Ahmadiyya ordinance, was to have eye surgery, he insisted his Ahmadi surgeon perform it.
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Last year when Fazl-ur-Rahman got heart attack, an Ahmadi doctor was called from US for his treatment” – MQH
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I’ve read about it, too. The eye surgeon was General Naseem Ahmad, Brigadier at the time, whom Gen. Zia trusted over others. I’ve heard that even afterwards, people like Prez. Musharraf and others close to him continue to seek and get the services of Gen. Naseem Ahmad.
Also, when Zia-ul-Haque needed a prostate operation, he reportedly insisted that Gen. Mehmoodul Hassan, another Ahmadi surgeon, perform the operation.
Someone made a humorous remark that if you were to throw a pebble up into the air at an Ahmadiyya conference, chances were high it would land on a doctor :) . You’ve got to give that much to this community – it’s produced some well educated Pakistanis, who do not limit their favors and services to within members of their own community, which is the way humanity should be. There should be acceptance of others at all levels and directions within the nation.
“Last year when Fazl-ur-Rahman got heart attack, an Ahmadi doctor was called from US for his treatment”. Now we know why most Pakistanis dislike Ahmadis :)))
Let Ahmadis become doctors, ultimately the worst enemies of Ahmadiyya require their treatment.
When General Zia-ul-Haq, the military dictator who passed the oppressive anti-Ahmadiyya ordinance, was to have eye surgery, he insisted his Ahmadi surgeon perform it. General Zia felt he would be free of an assassination risk while under an Ahmadi’s care.
Last year when Fazl-ur-Rahman got heart attack, an Ahmadi doctor was called from US for his treatment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/02/0 70206_fazal_heart_rs.shtml
“We have not received any application against Ahmadi students and to rusticate them was just under pressure exerted by the students on July 5,” said warden Dr Khalid Mahmood. “The principal has constituted a committee of five senior teachers of PMC that will investigate the matter and whoever is found guilty will be punished. All the students involved in the matter are being called upon individually for interrogation. Two girls who have allegedly converted submitted their affidavits to the administration saying they have not. We will accommodate the Ahmadi students if the committee finds them innocent. We will also provide them with proper security if needed,” he said.
But it is not so easy now to accommodate Ahmadi students as majority of students of PMC are not ready to welcome them. “PMC has a very rich history of curbing this fitna. In the 1974 movement against the Ahmadis, PMC played a very important role. Some of our teachers who were then students of PMC took an active part in that movement. We are once again ready to lead such a movement if the Ahmadi students are allowed to come back to PMC,” said Moeen (name changed), a student of third year. Many others at the college support his view.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2008-weekly/nos-15-0 6-2008/enc.htm#1
it s really unjust with the ahmadi students….
after their enquiry it has been find out that none was guilty…no preaching was done..not a single student got converted…n now the jamiyat is threatening the college that if these students returned they will protest this…
who r these to violate the rights of ahmadis when they r on open merit…nobody has the right to expel them if there is no proof of their preaching n convertin…
this is more then enough….is this justice??/ specially in a country following islam…the religion of justice n peace…
its shameful 4 the country n principal of PMC…