Pak constitutional body denounces vandalisation of Hindu temple

A Pakistan constitutional body has denounced the vandalisation of a Hindu temple by a frenzied mob early this month in Bhong town of Punjab province, saying demolishing any religious place of worship is a clear violation of Pakistani law.

The attack, which took place on August 4, has drawn widespread condemnation from all around the world including India. It exposed the deplorable conditions, under which Pakistan religious minorities live in the country.

In a statement on Monday, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) said the protection of the places of worship is the legal responsibility of the state, Dawn reported.

The CII is a constitutional body of Pakistan, responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government and the Parliament.

The body said no individual or group can be allowed to damage and harass non-Muslim communities in the country.

"Demolishing any of their religious places of worship is a clear violation of Islamic law and Pakistani law," the statement said, adding that all perpetrators of this crime must be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

A mob attacked the Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan on Wednesday. Pakistani lawmaker and Hindu community leader Ramesh Kumar Vankwani shared videos of the incident. In one of the videos, the mob can be seen destroying the infrastructure of the temple.

The mob vandalised the temple and broke idols and temple structures. Pakistan Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Friday reprimanded the Punjab Police chief for failing to take action to safeguard the Hindu temple, which was desecrated by a frenzied mob.

A day after the incident India summoned Pakistan charge d'affaires and lodged a strong protest on the temple attack.

Pakistan Police have arrested more than 20 people in the incident. District police officer Asad Sarfraz on Friday said more rioters would be arrested soon and none would be spared, Dawn reported.

In recent years, there has been a surge in attacks on the place of worship of religious minorities in Pakistan. The country has been repeatedly slammed by the international community for not safeguarding the interest of its minorities.

Last year in December, a mob of over a hundred people led by local Muslim clerics had destroyed and set on fire the temple in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A video clip that went viral on social media showed a violent mob destroying the walls and roof of the temple.

Pakistan has been discriminating against its religious minorities, which is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes and forced conversion to Islam, making the Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas and Shias one of the most persecuted minorities in the region.

( With inputs from ANI )