'Alarming apathy': India lambasts Pakistan over demolition of century-old Punjab temple

A Hindu temple in Pakistan Punjab's Narowal, estimated to be over a century-old, was reportedly demolished on August 21.

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India on Wednesday condemned the reported demolition of a century-old Hindu temple in Pakistan's Punjab and called on the government in Islamabad to conduct an investigation into the incident and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

This was the latest in a string of similar incidents involving the shrines of Pakistan's minority communities that have been taken up by the Indian side.

“We have noted with deep concern the disturbing reports of the destruction of a historic Hindu temple in village Siraj, Narowal, Pakistan. We unequivocally condemn this reprehensible act of vandalism against a century old minority place of worship,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

The apparent apathy of Pakistani authorities and the failure to protect the temple is alarming, Jaiswal said. “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,” he said.

The Indian side called on the government of Pakistan to “conduct a prompt and transparent investigation into this incident and ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable”.

The Pakistan government must also 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”, Jaiswal said.

What the MEA said

Temple demolition kicks up row in Pakistan

The demolition of the temple in Narowal has sparked a row in Pakistan as well, after a minority rights group alleged that the structure was deliberately demolished to facilitate the expansion of an adjoining seminary, according to a report by Pakistani news outlet The Dawn. However, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) claimed that the temple collapsed due to heavy rainfall.

The temple was razed on August 21, following which the Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP), an outfit that works for minority rights, alleged that a group of people demolished the structure and removed its bricks, metal fittings from the dome and other material from the site.

The PMMP also approached the authorities to seek action against those responsible for the demolition. The group said the temple was estimated to be over 125 years old.

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