Fact-check: Ahmadi man arrested in Punjab for giving free meals on Ashura, FIR confirmed

Social media is awash with a copy of a first information report (FIR) that purportedly shows a complaint against a man from the Ahmadi community for distributing communal meals during the 10th of Muharram (Ashura). Others questioned the authenticity of the FIR.

The claim is true.

Claim

A copy of a first information report began circulating on social media in Pakistan, with claims that a 65-year-old man from the Ahmadi community was arrested in the city of Gujranwala in Punjab for distributing biryani on Ashura.

As per the purported FIR, a man filed a complaint at the Satellite Town Police Station in Gujranwala on July 6 at 4:30pm, saying that he saw an Ahmadi man distributing free meals during the Islamic month of Muharram. The complaint was made under Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Others in social media questioned whether the FIR was authentic and if a person can be arrested for simply distributing free food.

Fact

The FIR is indeed authentic, and the Ahmadi man has been arrested by the Punjab police, confirmed two officials.

A police official at the Satellite Town Police Station in Gujranwala, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the FIR circulating online was registered at his police station. He added that the man accused had been arrested, but refused to go into detail about the charges.

The case was registered under Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which prohibits Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims or propagating their faith. However, it remains unclear how this provision applies to the act of distributing free meals.

Muhammad Irfan, the public relations officer for the Gujranwala city police, also told Geo Fact Check over the phone that the accused has been sent to jail on judicial remand.

“The accused was arrested by the local police and presented before the court. The court has sent him to jail,” he wrote via messages.

Verdict: A man from the Ahmadi community was arrested in Gujranwala for distributing food on Ashura. The FIR is genuine.

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