An Ahmadi Muslim man was seriously injured in a knife attack in Punjab province, Pakistan, in the third such assault on members of the Ahmadiyya community within a single month, according to minority rights organisation Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM). The incident underscores what rights groups describe as an escalating pattern of faith-based violence against one of Pakistan's most persecuted minorities.

The Latest Attack

Hamid Javed was stabbed by an unidentified assailant in the Lathianwala area of Faisalabad district on 21 September while returning home. The VOPM flagged the attack on Wednesday, calling it part of a wider, systematic pattern of violence rather than an isolated criminal act.

"For Ahmadi Muslims, these incidents are not isolated crimes. They are part of a painful reality in which people can be threatened, attacked, or killed because of their faith. Their religious identity is repeatedly turned into a source of danger rather than a matter of personal freedom," the VOPM said.

Three Attacks in One Month

The stabbing of Javed is the third reported attack on Ahmadis in Punjab within 30 days. On 19 September, Malik Mahmood Mubarak, 70, and his son Ayaz, 40, were shot while travelling in Sargodha district. Both survived, but no arrests have been reported in connection with that shooting.

Weeks earlier, on 2 September, 65-year-old Mirza Safdar Mahmood was killed near the Kot Ahmad Shah area in Mandi Bahauddin city while travelling to an Ahmadi place of worship. Taken together, the three incidents paint a picture of mounting danger, with attackers allegedly emboldened by what rights groups call a climate of impunity.

Rights Groups Warn of Institutional Impunity

The VOPM argued that the absence of arrests and prosecutions sends a damaging signal to the Ahmadiyya community. "Ahmadis are denied the safety and freedom that every citizen should have. They live under constant pressure from hatred, discrimination and fear of faith-based violence. When attacks are not prevented, and those responsible are not held accountable, the message received by the Ahmadi community is devastating: their lives and their right to practise their faith are not being protected equally," the organisation said.

Stressing that impunity reflects a policy choice rather than administrative failure, the VOPM called on Pakistan to "investigate every attack promptly, prosecute perpetrators under international standards, and provide remedies to victims." It also urged authorities to "review laws and administrative measures that enable discrimination and incitement, including the forfeiture of religious publications."

UN Experts Sound the Alarm

The attacks come amid broader international concern. United Nations experts have recently voiced serious alarm over continued discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, calling on Islamabad to ensure their safety and honour the country's international human rights commitments. The Ahmadiyya community has long faced legal and social restrictions under Pakistani law, including provisions that criminalise certain aspects of religious practice. Critics argue these statutes create a legal framework that enables discrimination and, in the view of rights bodies, emboldens those who commit violence.