A charged mob of around 1,000 people which reportedly besieged an Ahmadi place of worship in Chakwal was dispersed by police on Monday, officials said.
The place of worship located in the limits of the Chowas Saidan Shah police station area in Chakwal's Dhalmial district was 'attacked' by nearly 1,000 people, according to the Jamaat-i-Ahmaddiya Pakistan Spokesperson Saleem-ud-Din.
Saleem-ud-Din said a mob armed with batons and weapons was throwing stones and firing on the premises. The mob was "attempting to seize Ahmadiyya property," he said.
Deputy Commissioner Chakwal Mahmood Javed Bhatti said the mob hurled stones and bricks at the place of worship before storming the building, adding that gunmen opened fire on Ahmadis in the area. The DC said that police have now dispersed the crowd and secured the building.
Rashid Ahmad, a local police official, said the mob also set fire to part of the building.
Station House Officer Chowas Saidan Shah Sub Inspector Muhammad Nawaz told Dawn that police had dispersed the crowd. The situation is under control now, he confirmed, adding that police had not decided on what action to take.
There are no reports of any casualties, he said.
The Jamaat-i-Ahmaddiya Pakistan spokesperson, however, claimed that there had been one killed in the incident, but was unable to identify the dead.
The Government of Punjab earlier said it was "following up" on the Chakwal incident.
The provincial government's Twitter claimed, "As per details, a misunderstanding developed between the two groups. Home Department is vigilantly following up the issue."
It is unclear which groups were involved in the incident.
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