Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced to reconstruct the Hindu temple damaged by a violent mob in Karak on Wednesday. Chief Minister, Mahmood Khan, announced the provincial government shall ensure the reconstruction of the temple.
CM Khan vowed to protect the rights of minorities in the province. The announcement came a day after the authorities arrested nearly 45 people including 3 main suspects in the case of vandalizing the temple.
Just In: KPK government announces that it would reconstruct the Hindu Temple in Karak that was raised to the ground by a mob on Wednesday. CM KPK @IMMahmoodKhan issues instructions for the reconstruction – Atleast 45 people including 3 who were nominated have been arrested as yet
— Anas Mallick (@AnasMallick) January 1, 2021
“Strict action will be taken against those involved. No one is allowed to take the law into their own hands,” he added.
A violent reportedly led by a local cleric had razed the temple in southern Karak district in KP. The temple despite not in function is considered a revered religious site by the Hindu community living in Pakistan.
Residents said that the group was not happy with the ongoing extension and rehabilitation and handover of the temple. The enraged mob vandalized it before setting it on fire. The community says the mob was too large for the administration to handle.
DPO Irfanullah talking to Express Tribune said that the local Hindu community had bought land for the extension of the temple on which a building was under construction. The local cleric then instigated people to attack the temple.
“They attacked and demolished the under-construction building. We’ve registered an FIR against the cleric,” said Irfanullah.
The incident had caused a frenzy on social media, with many Twitter users condemning the incident and lamenting the inability of the local administration to control the mob. A section of social media users called out the government to take strict action against rising incidents of religious intolerance in Pakistan.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad also took notice of the incident. He directed the One Man Commission on Minorities Rights, the provincial chief secretary, and the police chief to visit the site and submit the report on the incident.
Read more: Politics on Islamabad’s Hindu temple is regrettable
Recently, the Council of Islamic Ideology had approved of the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad. The council released a notification that read “It is permitted for the Hindu community…to have a suitable place..[to] perform last rites of the deceased according to religious instructions.”
https://twitter.com/Farah_adeed/status/1344908093830950913?s=20
The council also did not stop The council also did not stop PM Imran Khan from giving $600,000 for the temple’s construction in Islamabad.