ISLAMABAD: The latest report presented before the Parliamentary Committee on Minority Caucus in Pakistan reveals the chilling facts about the state of sacred Hindu and Sikh temples in the country. The sheer negligence and arrogance of the Pakistani authorities have led to the complete decay and deterioration of the Hindu temples in the country, which are apparently thousands of years old and are a testament to the civilizational heritage of Bharat.
As per the reports unveiled before the Parliamentary Committee on Minority Caucus, out of 1817 Hindu temples and Sikh Gurudwaras in Pakistan, mere 37 are currently fully functional, operational and in a comparatively efficient state. The reasons beneath the poor state of the sacred Hindu temples in Pakistan is a globally known and acceptable fact. It is a clear testament to the negligence and selective targeting accelerated by the Pakistani authorities and the government.
There is no adequate concentration towards the maintenance of the Hindu temples in Pakistan by the government. Further, selective targeting towards the minority Hindu community in the country, the Pakistan authorities unleashing atrocities on the minorities have led to poor or not so sufficient attention towards the restoration and maintenance of the temples by the community members. The percentage of Hindu and Sikh population in Pakistan is depleting day by day at a fast pace due to forced conversion, abduction, targeted attacks and murders etc. As an impact, the minority communities are not in an equipped position to protect and preserve their sacred shrines.
Local activists and minority community leaders have taken sharp criticism towards the Evacuee Trust Property Board(ETPB) for its sheer negligence and its failure to take care of the temples and the gurudwaras that fall under its jurisdiction as per the law. The minority community have thus demanded the authorities of the ETPB to take necessary action to restore the centuries old temples and gurudwaras.
They have reiterated that the authority of the temple maintenance and preservation has to be transferred to non-muslim authorities who can understand the sentiments of the religious minority community and who are unbiased. Muslim authorities of Pakistan cannot understand and empathize with the religious sentiments of the minorities, the local activists exclaim. Hindu temples reflect the civilizational link, historical fact and the sacredness or richness of the Sanatana ecosystem that prevailed in ancient India for thousands of years. However, post partition, Pakistan atrocities are spiking unapologetically towards the minority communities, and their significant religious sentiments are severely hurt with no sign of relief.
