The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately start rebuilding a Hindu temple, which was set on fire by a mob in December, reported The Express Tribune. The court also asked the provincial government to submit a timeline for the completion of the temple in Karak district.
On December 30, a mob led by a local cleric and supporters of a religious political party, attacked the shrine after the Hindu community was granted permission from local authorities to renovate the temple. A first information report was registered against two clerics, identified as Maulana Faizullah and Maulvi Mohammad Sharif, and many unidentified people.
During the hearing on Monday, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed asked if any recovery or arrest was made. Evacuee Trust Property Board lawyer Ikram Chaudhry told the three-judge bench that no recovery had been made so far. The board is a statutory body of the Pakistan government that administers properties left behind by Hindus and Sikhs before migrating from the country.
“The government had approved Rs 30.41 million [approximately over Rs 1.38 crore] for the reconstruction of the temple,” Chaudhry said.
Taking note of Chaudhry’s statement, the chief justice said the chairperson of the trust property board should be summoned and a detailed report should be submitted containing all the progress made in the matter. Justice Ijazul Ahsan pointed out that the court had ordered recovery of money from those who burnt the temple so that they could learn a lesson.
Hindu Council head Ramesh Kumar, who is also a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly, told the court that Mahmood Khan, the chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had said that Karak was a sensitive area, and that the temple’s reconstruction should be done by the Hindu community. The Hindu council is the representative body of all members of the community in Pakistan.
“The K-P government will later reimburse the cost of building the temple,” said advocate general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that a tender should be issued for the reconstruction of the temple, according to the law.
The court also directed authorities to ensure that the Prahladpuri temple in the Multan division was prepared for Holi. The temple was destroyed in retaliation to the destruction of Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya in 1992.
The Pakistan Supreme Court was hearing the matter on a suo motu case regarding the destruction of the temple in Karak district. It will take up the case again on February 15.
In January, the Supreme Court had ordered that the Karak temple be restored within two weeks. Ahmed had said that the incident had caused “international embarrassment” to the country.
Hindu holy sites a picture of neglect, says commission
A commission report submitted to Pakistan’s Supreme Court has depicted a dismal picture of most of the Hindu holy sites in the country, reports Dawn. The report was submitted by Dr Shoaib Suddle, the head of a commission on minorities’ rights.
The commission visited Katas Raj Mandir in Chakwal district in Punjab province on January 6 and Prahlad Mandir in Multan on January 7. It showed that the temples and shrines were in a state of decay.
It has requested the Supreme Court to direct the Evacuee Trust Property Board to get involved in the reconstruction of the desecrated Teri Temple in Karak and cooperate with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for efficient implementation of the directives given by the court from time to time.
The report suggested collaborative efforts for the renovation of Teri Temple (Karak), Katas Raj Temples (Chakwal), Prahlad Mandir (Multan) and Hinglaj Mandir (Lasbela). It also suggested an amendment to the Evacuee Trust Property Board Act to set up a group for rehabilitating holy sites belonging to Hindus and Sikhs.
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