Hindu holy sites in Pakistan presents ‘picture of decay, obliteration’: Report

Most revered Hindu sites in Pakistan are in a state of “decay and obliteration”, stated a recent report by a minorities’ rights commission in the country.

The report submitted to Pakistan’s Supreme Court earlier this month presents a “general picture of decay and obliteration” of two of the four most revered evacuee sites in Pakistan.

The report has also slammed the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a statutory board of the Pakistan government, for failing to maintain ancient and holy sites of the minority community.

Out of 365 temples, only 13 were being managed by them, leaving 65 with the Hindu community, and “abandoning the rest of temples”.

“It is indeed strange that even in this age of technology, the ETPB has yet to get the evacuee properties geo-tagged,” the report stated.

The rights commission has further raised objections over the statutory board’s response that non-functional Mandirs/Gurdawaras existed due to “lack of population” of Hindus/Sikhs.

According to the commission’s report, the ETPB was only interested in the occupation of valuable properties of migrated minorities, even after over 73 years.

In January, Pakistan Supreme Court had directed the relevant authorities to start the restoration of the Hindu temple in Karak within two weeks after a mob of over a hundred people led by local Muslim clerics had destroyed and set it on fire.

A viral video clip on social media showed a violent mob destroying the walls and roof of the temple.

This act against the Hindu minority community was widely condemned by human rights activists based in Pakistan and other parts of the world.