In response to a DIRB inquiry on the above subjects, the general secretary of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore provided the following information in his letter of 17 August 1994.

Lahori Ahmadis do not live in specific regions or cities of Pakistan; they are dispersed around the country. There are no statistics on the number of Lahori Ahmadis living in Pakistan, but their number is estimated at 5,000. However, many Ahmadis have stopped identifying themselves publicly as Ahmadis because of restrictive measures adopted by the Pakistani government and the government's declaration of Ahmadis as a religious minority. Nevertheless, these Ahmadis still adhere to their faith.

There are no statistics on the number of Lahori Ahmadis who have emigrated from Pakistan.

There are no statics on the number of Lahori Ahmadis outside Pakistan either. However, their number is estimated to be 80,000.

In response to the DIRB question on whether the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore can verify whether an Anjuman certificate of membership is authentic, the general secretary states that he can verify the authenticity of such a certificate upon receipt of a copy of it. The general secretary adds that he can also verify whether a person who claims to be a Lahori Ahmadi, but does not possess an Anjuman certificate of membership, is a member of the Anjuman. For this purpose, the general secretary will require the names of the claimant and his/her father and the claimant's address in Pakistan.

According to a representative of the Ahmadi Movement in Islam in Maple, Ontario, Pakistani authorities and anti-Ahmadi groups do not distinguish between Lahori and Qadiani Ahmadis, since they consider Ahmadis, irrespective of their sect, to be non-Muslims (DIRB 28 June 1994).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan. 17 August 1994. Letter from the general secretary addressed to the DIRB.

Documentation, Information and Research Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa. 28 June 1994. Response to Information Request PAK17727.E.