India lodges protest with Pak over vandalisation of Hindu temple
New Delhi, January 1
India has lodged a protest with Pakistan over the vandalisation of a Hindu temple in Karak district in the northwest Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said on Friday.
The protest was conveyed to Pakistan through diplomatic channels, they said.
On Wednesday, the temple was vandalised by a mob, protesting against its expansion work.
Over 30 people, mostly members of a radical Islamist party, were arrested over the attack, Pakistani officials said on Thursday.
The attack on the temple in Terri village of Karak district drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and Hindu community leaders.
On Thursday, the provincial government ordered authorities to reconstruct the damaged temple as it vowed to bring the culprits to justice.
According to the local police, they arrested more than 30 people, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Rehmat Salam Khattak, in overnight raids.
Over 350 people have been named in the FIR, Provincial Police Chief KPK Sanaullah Abbasi has said.
Abbasi said all the sections of law relating to terrorism have been included in the FIR against the accused.
Will rebuild temple: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa CM
Peshawar: Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Friday that his government will rebuild the Hindu temple that was vandalised by a mob.
Addressing a health card distribution ceremony here, Chief Minister Khan said the government has issued orders to rebuild the temple.
Khan vowed to protect the religious sites of minorities and said the police has arrested several suspects involved in the temple attack.
The temple was attacked by the mob after members of the Hindu community received permission from local authorities to renovate its decades-old building, according to witnesses.
The mob, led by a local cleric and supporters of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (Fazal ur Rehman group), demolished the newly constructed work alongside the old structure, they said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday took notice of the attack and ordered the local authorities to appear before the court on January 5.
According to a statement by the apex court, Hindu lawmaker and the Pakistan Hindu Council chief Ramesh Kumar Vankwani called on Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed in Karachi to discuss the issue.
“The chief justice of Pakistan showed grave concern over the tragic incident and informed the member of parliament that he has already taken cognisance of the issue and has fixed the matter before court on January 5, at Islamabad,” according to the statement.
The court has issued directions to one-man Commission on Minorities Rights, KP chief secretary and KP inspector general of police to visit the site and submit a report on January 4. PTI