The attack in Bhulair is part of a campaign of intensified violence against Ahmadis
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to denounce the violence suffered by Ahmadis in Pakistan.
In an official statement, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community condemned the recent death of Muhammad Asif, a 19-year-old Ahmadiyya Muslim, who was shot dead by unidentified extremists in Bhulair Kasur.
The official statement from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is reproduced below:
On 24 April 2025, Muhammad Asif, a 19-year-old Ahmadiyya Muslim youth, was shot dead by unidentified extremists in Bhulair, Kasur, Pakistan. He was on his way home in the company of another Ahmadiyya youth, Asnan Ahmad, when the killers opened fire.
This is the second murder of an Ahmadi in a week, following the lynching of Laeeq Ahmad Cheema in Karachi on 18 April. The attack in Bhulair is part of a campaign of violence against Ahmadis that has intensified across Pakistan since the beginning of 2025.
Details of the incident
At around 10:45 p.m. on 24 April, Muhammad Asif and Asnan Ahmad were travelling on a motorcycle when armed assailants ambushed them about 100 metres from their home. Muhammad Asif was shot in the back, and the bullet exited through his shoulder. Asnan Ahmad suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. The attackers fled the scene while firing shots into the air.
Both victims were taken to hospital. Muhammad Asif succumbed to his injuries due to severe blood loss. He was 19 years old and lived with his parents and two sisters.
Prior to the shooting, local extremist groups had organised a sustained campaign against the Ahmadiyya place of worship in Bhulair. Over the past two years, Ahmadis in the area have faced repeated threats, harassment and violence. Their homes have been shot at, they have been arrested and intimidated in public spaces, and organised efforts have been made to isolate the community. Two previous shootings had damaged homes in the Ahmadi community. In another recent incident, another Ahmadi was brutally beaten.
Pattern of attacks
The Bhulair killing is the second targeted murder of an Ahmadi in the space of a week, following the lynching and subsequent death of Laeeq Ahmad Cheema in Karachi on 18 April. These attacks are part of a nationwide, widespread and relentless campaign of persecution against Ahmadis that has intensified since early 2025.
Since January this year, the Ahmadiyya community has faced:
The destruction of more than 150 Ahmadiyya graves in several cities, including Lahore, Gujranwala and Faisalabad.
The demolition of the historic Ahmadiyya mosque in Daska, Sialkot, in January 2025. This site was built by Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, Pakistan's first Foreign Minister and President of the UN General Assembly.
Systematic repression of Ahmadis' Friday prayers, which intensified during Ramadan 2025, with incidents involving arrests, mosque closures and the forced suspension of congregational worship.
In all cases, the authorities either failed to act or actively participated in the violence. The attacks in 2025 are rooted in decades of state-backed persecution. Each incident reinforces a system in which the religious practice of Ahmadis is criminalised, legal protections are withdrawn and violence is carried out with impunity.
We kindly request your assistance and mediation with the Pakistani authorities to:
Immediately arrest and prosecute those responsible for the murder of Muhammad Asif and the attempted murder of Asnan Ahmad.
Provide police protection to Ahmadiyya places of worship in Bhulair and other areas identified as high risk.
Launch a judicial investigation into the pattern of targeted killings and institutional failures to prevent violence against Ahmadis.
Enact emergency safeguards to defend the rights of religious minorities under Articles 20 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The murder of Muhammad Asif in Bhulair is not an isolated incident. It is part of a systematic pattern of violence and harassment that has become the hallmark of the state's failure to protect the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The consecutive murders in Karachi and Kasur represent another deadly escalation. Without immediate action and accountability, the Pakistani state is inviting further bloodshed. Ahmadis are denied the most basic guarantees of life, autonomy and religious freedom in Pakistan.