In a first, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs formed Pakistan Hindu Temple Management Committee. The Ministry appointed major Hindu leaders to take care of the minority community’s temples in Pakistan.
According to reports, Krishna Sharma will head the committee comprising Dewan Chand Chawla, Haroon Sarab Dayal, Mohandas, Naranjan Kumar, Megha Arora, Amit Shadani, Ashok Kumar, Versi Mill Dewani, and Amar Nath Randhawa.
Important to note, the committee will follow the pattern of the already working Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
Read more: Why did India stop 600 Sikhs pilgrims from travelling to Pakistan?
Wednesday, the Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri chaired the first meeting of the committee. On the occasion, he said the committee will look after matters related to Hindu places of worship.
Furthermore, he said that the formation of the committee will be instrumental in resolving the issues of the Pakistani Hindu community, adding that they want to promote harmony among people of different cultures in the region.
“The new committee will act as a bridge between the non-Muslim population and the state,” he said
مذہبی، ثقافتی تنوع کے باوجود ایکدوسرے کو برداشت/قبول کرنا ہی اصل انسانیت، شرپسند عناصر مذہب، فرقہ، لسانیت کی بنیاد پر 🇵🇰 میں تصادم چاہتے ہیں @NoorulhaqPir
وزارت میں پاکستان ہندو مندر منیجمنٹ کمیٹی #PHMMC کا افتتاحی اجلاس، ہندو عبادت گاہوں سے متعلق امور کی دیکھ بھال کریگی pic.twitter.com/Rn76Lug3op— Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony (@MORAisbOfficial) December 29, 2021
A much-needed initiative
The formation of Pakistan’s first Hindu Temple Management Committee is indeed a welcoming move. To clarify, reports emerged of Hindu temples being attacked by vandals in Pakistan.
Recently, a young man vandalized and attacked a Hindu temple in Karachi’s area of Narainpura. According to reports, the man damaged the statues in the Hindu Temple.
However, the residents of the area caught the man and detained him at the temple. After beating the man, they handed him over to the police who later registered an FIR against the accused. Videos of the incident also went viral on social media.
Similarly, back in August, an angry mob attacked a temple in Rahim Yar Khan. The mob vandalized, demolished, and even set fire on the property.
The mob was incited by a court ruling that granted bail to an 8-year-old Hindu boy in the alleged madrassa desecration.
Read more: Pakistan: 12 policemen sacked over Hindu temple attack
Dr. Rameesh Vankwani, a member of the National Assembly, tweeted videos of the incident and criticized the police for negligence. Moreover, people condemned the attack and urged the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice.
As a result, SAPM Shehbaz Gill tweeted and revealed that the Prime Minister’s office took notice of the incident and directed action against those involved in this crime.