A senior lawyer from the Ahmadiyya community was booked and arrested on Thursday in Karachi on the complaint of another lawyer over allegation of using “Syed” in his name.

It was the second time in as many years that Advocate Ali Ahmed Tariq had been booked on similar charges.

The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed at City Court Police Station and invokes Section 298-B (misuse of epithets, descriptions, and titles, etc, reserved for certain holy personages or places) of the Pakistan Penal Code

In the FIR, complainant Advocate Mohammed Azhar Khan stated that during an appearance before a district judge he observed that Advocate Tariq had used “Syed” with his name in the affidavit while pleading a case.

The complainant said that Tariq was an Ahmadi who had deliberately affixed “Syed” with his name. He, therefore, requested for a case to be registered against Advocate Tariq.

City Courts Station House Officer (SHO) Adil Khan told Dawn.com that members of the Ahmadiyya community were not supposed to call themselves Muslims or present themselves as ‘Ahle Bait’ under relevant laws.

He added that Tariq was booked after he “misrepresented himself” as a “Syed” while submitting his affidavit in the court as a lawyer.

“The police have taken action and arrested the lawyer who would likely be presented before the court on Friday,” SHO Khan said.

Ahmadiyya Jamaat, through its spokesperson Amir, expressed its concerns over the lodging of two identical FIRs and at the same police station against the senior lawyer.

Advocate Tariq was booked over similar allegations in November as well.

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...