what is Ordinance XX and how does it affect the Ahmadi community in Pakistan?

 Ordinance XX is a legal ordinance of the Government of Pakistan that was promulgated under the regime of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq on 26 April 1984. The ordinance prohibits the practice of Islam and the usage of Islamic terms and titles for the Ahmadiyya Community

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. The ordinance bars Ahmadis, who are deemed Non-Muslims under the Pakistani constitution, from publicly practising the Islamic faith and also disallows them from using any Islamic texts for praying purposes

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. The ordinance also debars Ahmadis from the use of any honorific titles and modes of address deemed specific to the Islamic community such as the greeting "As-salamu alaykum" (peace be upon you), reciting the Six Kalimas or the shahada (declaring belief in the oneness of God)

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The ordinance prohibits Ahmadis from identifying themselves as Muslims

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. Ahmadis are prohibited from declaring or propagating their faith publicly, building mosques or even referring to them as such, or making the call for Muslim prayer

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The ordinance undercut the activities of religious minorities generally, but struck at Ahmadis in particular by prohibiting them from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim”

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. The ordinance provided for prison terms of up to three years or unlimited fines for any Ahmadi posing or referring to himself as a Muslim

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. The persecution of the Ahmadiyya community is wholly legalized, even encouraged, by the Pakistani government

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what is the Ahmadi community's response to Ordinance XX?  The Ahmadi community has been vocal in its opposition to Ordinance XX, which prohibits them from practicing their faith and using Islamic terms and titles. The community has faced deadly violence by militant Islamist groups, and hundreds of Ahmadis have been injured and killed in bombings and other attacks by militants

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The separate list of all registered Ahmadi voters with contact information places them at greater risk of targeted attacks

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. Ahmadis are prohibited from declaring or propagating their faith publicly, building mosques or even referring to them as such, or making the call for Muslim prayer

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. The community has been socially boycotted for long, and police have taken no action to stop violence against them

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. The ordinance undercuts the activities of religious minorities generally, but strikes at Ahmadis in particular by prohibiting them from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim”

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The Ahmadi community has been persecuted and marginalized, and their fundamental human rights have been violated by the Pakistani government

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There have been legal challenges to Ordinance XX by the Ahmadi community, but the ordinance is still in place. Here is the status of the legal challenges to Ordinance XX by the Ahmadi community:

• In 1993, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the constitutionality of Ordinance XX, which had been challenged in a series of appeals by Ahmadis who opposed the ordinance
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• In the case of Khurshid Ahmad, the challenge was made concerning the law made pursuant to Ordinance XX, but the challenge was unsuccessful
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• Despite the challenges, the ordinance is still in place, and the Ahmadi community continues to face persecution and marginalization in Pakistan
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