A century-old Hindu Mandir in Pakistan’s Narowal was demolished by Islamic zealots over land encroachment claims
Narowal: A Hindu Mandir located in Siraj village of Narowal was demolished on August 21 by Islamic zealots with the active connivance of the revenue officials who were responsible for its protection. Instead of bringing it to the notice of higher officials and the police, junior revenue officials of the area claimed that the Mandir collapsed due to torrential rains.
Incidentally, no other building or buildings suffered any damage due to rains during this period. Besides, there were no reports of any flooding or blockage of drains or anything such which would have necessitated intervention of disaster management authorities. The demolition has reportedly been done to encroach upon its land and to include it in an adjacent madrassa in Punjab province of Pakistan, officials and minority bodies said on Monday.
Local people, bodies representing minorities and a political party said a group of religious zealots demolished the Mandir to include its land in a. They refuted the claim of some officials who said that the old Mandir collapsed due to torrential rains. They said that the Mandir structure was sturdy and stood as a magnificent weathered monument with its shikhara clearly visible and intact.
Occupying approximately 1,000 sq metres of land, the 100 to 125-year-old Mandir was located in Siraj village of Narowal, some 130 km from Lahore. There are very few Mandirs left in Pakistan, particularly in the countryside of Punjab and other provinces, as these have been systematically demolished as part of the ongoing Islamisation project.
The people who demolished the Mandir on August 21 reportedly belonged to the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a banned far-right Islamic party. Interestingly, however, the ban on TLP was in no way a deterrent for its activists to carry out weapons and demolition tools to the site of the Mandir. The police and other law enforcement agencies ignored the assault on the temple and did nothing to stop the vandals, religious Islamic zealots.
The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP) has urged the Punjab government to take action against those involved in the demolition of the Mandir and ensure its reconstruction. PMMP chairman Aslam Parvez Sahotra said that he met the Additional Home Secretary, Punjab, on August 28 and submitted a written application seeking action against the alleged perpetrators and officials accused of failing to protect the Mandir.
He alleged that the Mandir shikhar’s metal fittings of brass, other material and bricks from the demolished structure were subsequently removed from the site. This was meant to remove all traces of this Hindu Mandir from the spot where it stood for over a century, he added.
The land adjoining the Mandir had previously been leased by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for a madrassa, he said. The lease was later cancelled after the rent allegedly remained unpaid for several years and the premises were not used for the stated purpose. He further said that several people subsequently occupied portions of the property illegally.
Hindu community leader Rattan Lal condemned the demolition of the ancient Mandir and requested the government to order its restoration. He further said that several people subsequently occupied portions of the property illegally.
“The district administration and the ETPB failed to take adequate measures to protect the site or remove the alleged occupants, ultimately allowing the Mandir to be demolished,” Lal said and asked the government to take action against those found involved in the demolition of the Mandir.
ETPB senior official Rana Iftikhar said the Mandir was approximately 100 to 125 years old and collapsed because of torrential rains. “The Mandir carries no name in our record books. However, it is a very old one… more than 100 to 125 years old,” he said.
Sahotra referred to a revenue department report identifying several individuals as illegal occupants of the Mandirs quarters and other parts of the property and said that an order by the ETPB’s deputy administrator in Sialkot on January 29, 2026, cancelled the seminary’s lease rights and directed the eviction of illegal occupants and sealing of the property. “This order was not implemented,” Sahotra alleged.
