Pakistan: 100-year-old Hindu temple's demolition sparks concerns among minority communities

Islamabad: The collapse of a more than 100-year-old Hindu temple in Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab province has sparked concerns among minority communities in the country, who have highlighted earlier incidents where heritage sites suffered damage under conflicting accounts, a report has detailed.

A minority rights group, the Pakistan Masiha Millat Party, said that the temple was intentionally demolished to make more space for a nearby madrasa. Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which is responsible for managing Sikh and Hindu properties left behind by those who migrated to India after the partition, claimed that the temple collapsed during torrential rains. The Punjab government has backed ETPB's statement about the temple collapse, according to a report in Bitter Winter.

PMMP chairman Aslam Parvez Sahotra said that he and several local residents have submitted a written application to the Punjab Additional Home Secretary, demanding action against those behind the demolition and officials who were not able to protect the site. He said that the order issued by the ETPB Deputy Director in Sialkot in January, cancelling the lease of the madrasa, ordering illegal occupants to vacate the property and sealing the property, was never implemented.

The PMMP alleged that the temple was dismantled piece by piece and materials like bricks and metal fittings were removed from the site and said that the collapse statement given by ETPB and the government does not explain the reason behind the absence of these materials. They called for reconstructing the temple in its original form and urged the Punjab government to protect Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and Christian churches, the report in Bitter Winter mentioned.

"The conflicting accounts have revived concerns among minority communities, who point to earlier incidents where heritage sites suffered damage under disputed circumstances. In June, portions of the 125‑year‑old Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad were reduced to rubble after a local businessman allegedly carried out demolition work without legal clearance or a court order," the report detailed.

"Sikh residents protested in the streets, and only then did authorities acknowledge the incident. A report described the night of June 24 as the moment machinery tore into a building that generations had treated as sacred. Officials later admitted that the department failed to take notice until the Sikh community raised its voice and promised reconstruction," it added.

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