Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 2: India on Wednesday strongly condemned the reported demolition of a century-old Hindu temple in Pakistan and called upon the Pakistani government to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation into the incident involving the destruction of a place of worship belonging to a minority community.
Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had noted with deep concern reports about the destruction of the historic Hindu temple in Siraj village, Narowal, Pakistan.
“We unequivocally condemn this reprehensible act of vandalism against a century old minority place of worship. The apparent apathy of authorities and failure to protect this century-old temple is alarming. Such incidents are a stark reminder of the continuing vulnerability of minority communities and the egregious violations of their religious freedoms and places of worship in Pakistan,” Jaiswal said.
“We call upon the Government of Pakistan to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation into this incident and ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable. Furthermore, the Government of Pakistan must take immediate remedial measures to restore the desecrated temple and fulfill its primary obligation to guarantee the safety, security and well-being of all its minority citizens and their cultural heritage,” he added.
The Hindu temple, believed to have been constructed more than 100 years ago, was demolished in Narowal city of Pakistan’s Punjab province recently, triggering concerns among minority rights groups.
A minority rights organisation alleged that the structure was deliberately demolished to make room for the expansion of an adjoining seminary and called for the temple to be reconstructed in its original form, local media reported.
The temple in Siraj village was demolished on August 21. The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP), which works for minority rights, said a group of people demolished the structure, Dawn reported.
The latest incident comes months after the demolition of the 125-year-old Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad in June.
Parts of the historic Sikh shrine were reduced to rubble after a local businessman allegedly carried out the demolition without the required legal clearance or a court order.
Authorities acknowledged the demolition only after Sikh residents of Farooqabad took to the streets to protest.
A report by Khalsa Vox said the demolition took place on the night of June 24, with machinery brought in to tear down portions of the historic gurdwara. The shrine had been built more than a century ago during a period when the Singh Sabha movement was reshaping Sikh identity in Punjab.
The report alleged that the businessman had not obtained the legal clearance required for the work and that there had been no court order or prior warning to the local Sikh community.
Following the demolition, Sikh residents staged protests in Farooqabad.
According to the Khalsa Vox report, a Pakistani official later acknowledged that the concerned department failed to take notice of the demolition until members of the Sikh community protested.
The report said authorities responded only after members of the minority community took to the streets to defend their religious and cultural heritage.