‘International embarrassment’, says Pakistan SC because it orders reconstruction of vandalised Hindu temple

Image Source : VIDEO GRAB The Samadhi of Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj is taken into account sacred by the Hindu group.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to begin the reconstruction of a century-old Hindu temple that was vandalised by a mob within the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa final week and instructed them to get well the cash for the restoration work from the attackers whose act has prompted “international embarrassment” to the nation.
The apex court docket, which took discover of the assault and ordered the native authorities to look earlier than the court docket on January 5, additionally directed the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to submit in court docket particulars of all useful and non-functional temples and gurdwaras throughout Pakistan.
ALSO READ: Mob vandalises, burns down Hindu temple in northwest Pakistan, 26 arrested
The assault on the temple in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Karak district on Wednesday by members of radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam occasion (Fazal ur Rehman group) drew sturdy condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu group leaders.
During the listening to on Tuesday, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed ordered the EPTB to begin the reconstruction work.
Chief Justice Ahmed mentioned the assault on the temple has “caused international embarrassment to Pakistan.”
The court docket additionally directed the EPTB to clear encroachments from temples throughout the nation and take motion towards officers concerned within the encroachments.
The EPTB is a statutory board that manages spiritual properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, police chief, and Shoaib Suddle, the pinnacle of a fee on minorities’ rights, had been current in the course of the listening to.
Dr Suddle, who visited the temple in Karak district and introduced a complete report within the case to the apex court docket on Monday after it requested him to probe the assault, advised the court docket that the provincial EPTB “did not protect the shrine”.
ALSO READ: Pak’s KP Chief Minister says his govt will rebuild Hindu temple vandalised by mob
Justice Ijazul Ahsan then questioned Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi on how the assault might have occurred when there was a police examine submit subsequent to the temple.
“Where were your intelligence agencies?” the choose requested.
Abbasi advised the court docket that 109 folks concerned within the assault had been arrested. He additionally mentioned that 92 police officers, together with the superintendent of police and deputy superintendent of police had been suspended.
Chief Justice Ahmed mentioned that “suspension was not enough”.
The police chief advised the court docket {that a} protest by the JUI-F was happening close to the location on the day of the incident.
“Out of the six ulema at the protest, only Maulvi Mohammad Sharif incited the crowd,” he mentioned.
The choose additionally pulled up the EPTB chairman, saying he ought to “not sit on the chairman’s seat with government mentality”.

“Your employees are doing business on the land meant for shrines. Arrest them and start the reconstruction of the temple,” Justice Ahmed directed.
The court docket ordered the EPTB to get well the cash for the temple restoration from the attackers.
“You (EPTB chief) have to recover money from the people who did this, from this Maulvi (Sharif) and his followers,” the chief justice mentioned.
Justice Ahsan noticed that the EPTB “has the money to construct its own buildings but does not have money for Hindus”.
The bench directed that particulars of useful and non-functional shrines, data of disputes on EPTB lands and a report on the efficiency of the EPTB chairman be submitted to the court docket in two weeks.
The court docket mentioned an in depth judgement could be launched later and adjourned the listening to for 2 weeks.
In his report, Suddle advised opening of 4 Hindu temples for worldwide tourism, together with Param Hans Ji Maharaj Samadhi (the one attacked Karak), Hinglaj Mata Mandir in Hingol National Park of Balochistan’s district Lasbela, Katas Raj complicated in Punjab’s district Chakwal and Parhlad Bhagat Mandir in Punjab’s district Multan.
He additionally beneficial that lodging and boarding preparations and safety just like Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib must be offered at these Hindu temples.
Last week, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan mentioned that his authorities will rebuild the temple.

The temple was attacked by the mob after members of the Hindu group obtained permission from native authorities to renovate its decades-old constructing. The mob had demolished the newly constructed work alongside the outdated construction.
Leader of Hindu Community Peshawar Haroon Sarab Diyal mentioned a samadhi of a Hindu spiritual chief exists on the temple web site and Hindu households from throughout the nation do go to the samadhi on each Thursday.
The Samadhi of Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj is taken into account sacred by the Hindu group. It was constructed the place he died in 1919 in Teri village of Karak.
The controversy over the samadhi erupted many a long time in the past.
According to the main points submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014 in a case about it, the Hindus had been visiting the shrine until 1997 when it was dismantled by the locals.
The apex court docket in 2014 ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities to revive and reconstruct the Hindu shrine. The order was issued over a petition of a Hindu lawmaker who had claimed that the shrine had been occupied by an influential cleric of the realm.
Hindus type the most important minority group in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus reside in Pakistan. However, in accordance with the group, over 90 lakh Hindus reside within the nation.
The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu inhabitants is settled in Sindh province the place they share tradition, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They typically complain of harassment by the extremists.
Latest World News