India has summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat, the Pakistani chargé d’affaires (C’dA), to voice a strong protest over the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan’s Bhong City in Pakistan.
“Firm protest was lodged expressing our grave concerns at this reprehensible incident” and the “continued attacks on the freedom of religion of the minority community and their places of religious worship”, Arindam Bagchi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said at a virtual weekly presser on Thursday.
Pakistan must “guarantee the safety, security, and well-being of its minority groups,” said MEA spokesperson.
The video of the despicable act has been widely circulating on various social media platforms since the incident took place yesterday. However, now, Pakistan PM Imran Khan has taken to Twitter to condemn the incident and said that the perpetrators would be brought to books. He also assured that the Pakistan Govt would restore the temple, and informed that he has ordered the police to ensure the arrest of all culprits and take action against any negligence by police.
Strongly condemn attack on Ganesh Mandir in Bhung, RYK yesterday. I have already asked IG Punjab to ensure arrest of all culprits & take action against any police negligence. The govt will also restore the Mandir.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 5, 2021
Islamists in Pakistan attack and burn Hindu temple in Punjab province
The statement came in the aftermath of the attack on a Ganesh Temple in Pakistan on August 4 (Wednesday), which was telecasted live on Facebook. OpIndia reported how hundreds of Islamists had vandalized a Ganesh temple in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the temple were burnt down and idols desecrated.
Taking cognizance of the matter, ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentarian Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani took to Twitter to post videos of the temple attack and urged the law enforcement agencies to stop the “burning and vandalizing” of the temple.
“The attackers were carrying sticks, stones and bricks. They smashed the deities while raising religious slogans,” Vankwani said.
Condemning the attack on the temple in a series of tweets, Vankwani demanded arrests of the culprits. He also urged the Chief Justice to take immediate action.
Police officials confirmed that the temple has been damaged badly. As per reports, when the police failed to control the mob, the Pakistan Rangers had to be called to control the situation. However, no arrests have been made so far.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had also, Wednesday shared the videos of the vandalization and hit out at those opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an Act that provides Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities in the neighbouring country.
In the advent of this particular incident of vandalism, we listed, 7 such incidents of attacks on Hindu temples by Islamists in Pakistan since 2020.
It’s disgraceful that while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan leaves no international platform (related or unrelated) to make incoherent rants about the alleged oppression of minorities in India, he seldom looks in his own backyard to check the condition of Hindu, Sikh and Christian minorities grappling for survival in Pakistan.
