New data reveals big decline in Ahmadi numbers across KP and Balochistan.
The data from the 2023 Census released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) contains a startling revelation, with alarming levels of Ahmadi population extinction across the country, especially in KP and Balochistan, reported by The Friday Times.
Compared to the 2017 Census, which was conducted merely six years ago, the Ahmadi population in all four provinces has declined dramatically.
The most affected provinces have been Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Whereas the total population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa increased by 33% in the last six years – from 30 million to 40 million – the total population of Ahmadis in the province has diminished by 85%.
According to the Census bureau, the entire Ahmadi population in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is merely 951 individuals.
Also read: Ahmadiyya community leader murdered in Bahawalpur
This stands in stark contrast to the census results of 1998, where the Ahmadi population in the province was found to be 0.24% of the entire population of the province, or around 42,500 individuals.
Similarly, although Balochistan’s population increased by 18% over the past six years, 74% of the entire Ahmadi population of the province had disappeared in 2023, compared to 2017.
According to the latest census, the largest province of Pakistan by land area is home to only 557 Ahmadis.
This also stands in stark contrast to the 1998 census, which suggested almost 10,000 Ahmadi individuals living in Balochistan.
Persecution of Ahmadis continues in Pakistan.
Dr. Zaka ur Rehman, a 53-yr-old Ahmadi dentist, was shot dead in his clinic in Lala Musa Gujrat.
The fire of extremism rages on, fueled by complicit state actions & discriminatory laws. When will this madness end?@MaryamNSharif??? pic.twitter.com/DBF0dwB3HX
— Mona Farooq Ahmad (@MonaChaudhryy) July 27, 2024
The situation is not much better in either Punjab or Sindh, which both saw a decline in the Ahmadi population within the last six years, even though both provinces had a steady increase in their overall populations.
The overall Ahmadi population in the country has dropped by 15% over the past 6 years, a 2.53% decrease every year.
This goes against the overall trend of population increase in Pakistan, with the overall population in the country increasing from 208 million in 2017 to 240 million in 2023, an increase of 16%.
Also read: Javed Latif’s anti-Ahmadi remarks, fuel the fire in PTI supporters
