Federal Constitutional Court Upholds Ban on Ahmadi Community's Core Religious Text

Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court has upheld the Punjab government's ban on Rohani Khazayeen, a 23-volume Ahmadiyya community publication, dismissing every petition filed against it and refusing leave to appeal.

What the court decided

A two-member bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq, sitting with Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, issued the ruling on September 8, 2026, Dawn reported. Justice Farooq wrote the consolidated judgment in the case brought by Muhammad Abdul Qadoos and other petitioners against the Province of Punjab. The petitioners had argued the ban violated Article 20 of the Constitution, which protects the right to profess, practise and propagate one's religion. The court held that this guarantee is subject to "law, public policy and morality," and that rights are not absolute.

The bench also said it could not proceed on assumptions without the actual material before it, and that counsel had made general arguments instead of showing the content of the volumes and their impact. It described the petitioners' religious-freedom argument as one that "seems to be an afterthought and was nothing more than wittering on about the subject of Fundamental Rights in general."

Where the ban originated

The prohibition itself is not new. It traces back to a June 25, 2014 notification from the Punjab Home Department, issued under Section 99-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows provincial governments to forfeit publications. According to the judgment as reported by Dawn, a board of Ulema reviewed the volumes and concluded they could incite hatred among Muslims, recommending forfeiture. The court rejected the petitioners' claim that the books were forfeited without application of mind, pointing to the board's record.

Before reaching the Federal Constitutional Court, the petitioners lost at the Lahore High Court, including its Multan bench, in judgments dated April 30, 2024 and October 13, 2025. Those courts dismissed the petitions for delay and because the petitioners had not used an alternate remedy within the limitation period. The FCC's ruling leaves those dismissals in place.

The international reaction

The judgment came a day after six United Nations special rapporteurs issued a statement on September 7 warning of ongoing harassment, violence and legal restrictions against Ahmadis in Pakistan, Christian Daily International reported. The experts said attacks occur with "tacit official complicity" and urged Pakistan to review laws that may conflict with its international obligations.

A long route through the courts

The case took more than a decade to move from a 2014 provincial notification to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. Pakistan's court backlog and how disputes move through the legal system is relevant background to how long such litigation can take.

What happens now

With the petitions dismissed and leave to appeal refused, the forfeiture of Rohani Khazayeen under the 2014 notification remains in force.

Build Better Pakistan's Rights Desk covers court rulings affecting religious minorities and civil liberties as part of our ongoing coverage.