Huzoor (rh): The question is put that why the Ahmadiyya Jama’at, which is a purely religious organization and not a political organization, wholeheartedly took part in the elections during the time…
Questioner: Were they not Pakistanis?
Huzoor (rh): And how do you say Jama’at Ahmadiyya participated? Did you, in England, participate in the elections in Pakistan?
Questioner: No, sir.
Huzoor (rh): Did any Ahmadi living outside, everyone was a member of Jama’at Ahmadiyya, whether he lived in Africa or China or wherever he did, so if Jama’at Ahmadiyya had participated, all Ahmadis should have, but do the religious communities abandon their civic rights? Can they live without their civic rights?
Questioner: No, sir. They don’t.
Huzoor (rh): You are a physician and you attend to your tasks as physician, and also you’re a husband, and also you are a father. So, being a physician doesn’t deprive you of your rights as a father or a husband or brother, a sister, so all these are different domains of one’s activities. Human animal is a man of vast activities belonging to various sections and fields. So, every Ahmadi living in a country is a political inseparable part of that country. So, Ahmadis participated in the elections here, and they do always in Africa, other countries as well, so why shouldn’t they?
And as far as the religion is concerned, Jama’at Ahmadiyya did not make it incumbent, as such, upon a single Ahmadi to vote for someone. And this is the oldest old practice, no change was made in that. Each district was left to decide for each region after consultation with the local people. And if they did not decide in favor of some parties or some aspirants to the assembly seats, and the majority of that particular region wanted to vote for someone else, they were complete freedom, they had complete freedom, they were fully at liberty to do whatever they please. So, this is a misconception on the part of Ahmadis living in other countries that Jama’at Ahmadiyya decided to vote for People’s Party, and ordered everybody to vote for People’s Party.
In Northwest province for instance, only in one single seat, Ahmadis voted for People’s Party because they had decided. The entire Northwest province decided to go against People’s Party and vote for Muslim League and they did it. In the Punjab, in Sahiwal district, all the five seats were, in the five constituencies, the Ahmadis living there decided not to vote for People’s Party and they were permitted. Elsewhere in Punjab, the same thing happened. Only the board of experts which was created, and it is always created by Jama’at Ahmadiyya, to help people to consult, to see what the political situation is and what the political demands are. That board advised them against it.
They said you are going to waste your votes anyway because according to the assessment of that board, all these five seats are going to People’s Party anyway. So it’s a useless exercise, they advised them. But they said no, this is the local exigency and we think we must vote to some other friends or us and so. So they decided and they were permitted and they were defeated. And they accepted defeat in good grace. So this is all a misconception.
