Condemning the cold-blooded killing of American cardiologist Dr Mehdi Ali Qamar in Pakistan, The Ahmadiya Congressional Caucus has urged the US State Department to designate the South Asian nation a Country of Particular Concern on religious freedom.
Qamar, a Columbus-based cardiologist, was shot 10 times by one of two men on a motorbike in front of his wife and toddler son in eastern Pakistan on Monday while entering a cemetery to visit a family grave.
"Dr Qamar's assassination is symptomatic of an environment in Pakistan that is hostile to religious freedom at both the governmental and societal level. Grievous violations routinely occur that especially impact religious minorities including Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus," said Congressman Frank Wolf, Co-Chair of the House Ahmadiyya Caucus.
"I have called on the State Department to designate Pakistan a Country of Particular Concern for these very reasons," he said.
Frank said Qamar was a US citizen on a selfless humanitarian mission and his grieving family must be given every assurance that America's first freedom, religious freedom, will be a cornerstone of US engagement with Pakistan.
Congressman Jackie Speier, co-chair of the House Ahmadiyya Caucus, said that discrimination, hatred and violence towards the Ahmadiyya community has long been sanctioned by Pakistan and must be addressed by US foreign policy.
"We cannot tolerate the cold-blooded killings of American citizens travelling abroad. Dr Qamar was a humanitarian silenced forever for selflessly caring for others regardless of religious differences.
"Peace, education, pluralism, racial and gender equality are the hallmarks of the Ahmadia people and true religious freedom is an absolute essential human right," he said.
