After over 7 decades since the inception of Pakistan, the minority Hindus living there are about to get their first temple and crematorium in the capital city of Islamabad. This would mean that the Hindus in Pakistan’s Islamabad would be allowed to offer their religious rituals without having to travel out of the city anymore.
The Shri Krishna Mandir, as named by the Islamabad Hindu Panchayat, would be built on a 20,000 sq ft plot in Islamabad’s H-9 sector area. The temple complex will have a cremation site as well. The plot on which the temple is being made was allotted to the Hindu Panchayat by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 2017. However, due to some formalities, like the site map’s approval by the CDA etc. the construction work was stuck for the last 3 years.
The ground breaking ceremony has performed by Parliamentary Secretary on Human Rights, Lal Chand Malhi on June 23 (Tuesday) in Islamabad’s H-9 sector area and the construction work is expected to begin soon. According to Religious Affairs Minister, Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, the Pakistani government will bear the construction cost, presently estimated to be around Rs 10 crore.
While addressing the gathering at the ground breaking ceremony, Lal Chand Malhi said: “The Hindu community in Islamabad has been demanding a temple for a long time now. The population has also increased while many Hindu temple structures in the capital have been abandoned,” he said.
“Besides, there is no crematorium in Islamabad,” added Malhi.
If the said project is completed as being promised by the Pakistani government it will bring some relief for the minority Hindus who have, since ages, been oppressed, ill-treated, abducted, tortured, raped, persecuted and rendered homeless in the terror state of Pakistan. The atrocities meted out on these minorities is a testimony to the abject failure of the Pakistani government in safeguarding their rights.
Religious persecution and forced conversion of minorities in Pakistan
Religious persecution of minorities continues to be rampant in Pakistan. While the Imran Khan government makes tall claims regarding the safety and security of minorities in his country, Pakistan has been notoriously indulging in the persecution of religious minorities. Recently, a minor Hindu girl named Reshaman from Sindh was kidnapped by Wazir Hussain on June 18 and was later converted and forcibly married to him.
There have been many cases of abduction, rape, murder and forceful conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan’s Sindh region. Allegations have been made that the powerful Islamic leader Mian Mithoo oversees the systematic abduction, conversions and forced marriage of minor Hindu girls in the region. The cleric is said to enjoy strong political patronage in the islamic nation.
Despite repeated appeals by the Indian government, Imran Khan’s government has been turning a blind eye to the atrocities being meted out at the minority Hindus in Pakistan. Recently, a slum which housed impoverished Hindu families he city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, Pakistan, was reportedly destroyed by the government.
In a disturbing video that has now gone viral on social media, a bulldozer can be seen razing the homes of Hindus to the ground while the women and children beg for their shelter to be spared. The demolition exercise was carried out under the watch of the Housing Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema. He is a member of the cabinet in Imran Khan’s government.
