ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s minority Hindu community has demanded that the government reconstruct over 1,000 temples across the country that were demolished or damaged in 1992 in the wake of the destruction of the Babri mosque in India.
The All Pakistan Balmik Sabha (APBS) also asked the Indian government to reconstruct the Babri mosque in Ayodhya and take action against those responsible for the incident on December 6, 1992.
No religion in the world permitted violence, office bearers of the APBS told Daily Times in Lahore. They blamed anti-human individuals in India for fanning religious hatred by demolishing the Babri Mosque.
The newspaper described APBS as a major Hindu organisation.J.J. Vishnu Mangay Ram, a former Sindh advocate general and APBS chairperson, said the Babri demolition had affected humanity on both sides of the border.
He demanded that the Pakistan government fulfill its promise and reconstruct the places of worship of minority Hindus.
APBS Balochistan president Atnay Ram Chohan said more than 1,000 Hindu temples had been damaged in Pakistan following the demolition. The government had assured the Hindu community that their places of worship would be restored, but that has yet to be fulfilled.
APBS Punjab General Secretary Munohar Chand said though the government had started reconstructing several temples in Multan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, Bahawalpur and Lahore, the pace of work was slow and must be completed on priority to promote religious harmony in the country.
He added that several temples in Lahore, including Jain Mandir, Krishna Mandir, Balmik Mandir in Nila Gumbad, Balmik Mandir and Bawa Mandir in Taxali Gate and Shah Alam Mandir had been damaged in the violent protests in 1992. But the government had only reconstructed the Krishna Mandir on Ravi Road.
