In June 2022, the Global Money Laundering and Terror Financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), based in Paris continued Pakistan in its “Grey List”, a list of countries that have strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terror financing, and proliferation financing. This makes it difficult for Pakistan to get financial aid from world bodies such as the IMF.
It is not only that Pakistan is a “Living Heaven” for terror organizations but is the “Living Hell” for its minorities too.
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law[1] has further hastened the sharp decline of the Hindus Population from 20% in 1947 to just 2% in 2020.
Destruction of Pakistani Hindu Places of Worship i.e., temples, and vandalization of their pious deities further add fire to Pakistani Hindu agonies. Hindu temples which were in thousands in 1947 have been reduced to just 10-15 in the whole of Pakistan.
Let’s go through Temple destruction Terror by Pakistani extremists in the last 2 -3 years…
Shri Mari Mata Mandir in Karachi’s Korangi
In June 2022, Shri Mari Mata Mandir located in Karachi’s Korangi was attacked and destroyed by 6 Muslim extremists.
The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the incident caused panic and fear among members of the Hindu community living in Karachi, particularly in the Korangi area
Sanjeev, a Hindu resident of the area, told the newspaper that six to eight individuals on motorcycles came into the area and attacked the temple. “We don’t know who has attacked and why[2],” he said
Shiranwali Mata Hindu temple in Rohri
In February 2022, another attack against the minority Hindus in Pakistan, a Shiranwali Mata Hindu temple in Rohri, Sindh Province was looted and vandalized by religious extremists earlier this month. They also looted the cash and gold and destroyed 5 idols of Hindu deities.
Voice of Pakistan Minority, the non-profit organization committed to protecting minority rights in Pakistan tweeted about the incident and demanded the protection of religious places of the Hindu community in Pakistan[3].
Hindu temple in Kotri
In October 2021, a Hindu temple in Kotri in Pakistan’s Sindh province was attacked by Muslim extremists ahead of Hindu Festival Diwali.
According to a video procured from the attacked temple, the idol of Shiva can be seen destroyed. The video shows that the miscreants vandalized the temple and stole valuables including gold chains and a crown from an idol of Lord Ram.
“I urge Minister of External Affairs of India, S Jaishankar, to take up this matter with your Pakistani counterpart immediately and ensure the safety and security of minorities,” Sirsa added. He went on claim that such attacks were a common sight in Pakistan and further said that younger women from the minority community are also targeted in the region and were being forcibly married to Muslim men[4].
Lord Ganesha Temple in Bhong
In August 2021, the Ganesha temple in Bhog city of Rahim Yar Khan district which is in Pakistan’s Punjab province was vandalized. Emotions raged as the video of a burnt down went viral on social media.
The temple was attacked with sticks, stones, and bricks by Muslims and as a result, the temple was razed and idols lay desecrated.
Reacting to this incident, Ravi Diwani, secretary of the Pakistan Hindu Panchayat told The Wire, "Those who are of the belief that this was an attack only on Hindus should not forget that the flame of extremism will [eventually] engulf everyone [else] as well.[5]"
Lord Krishna Temple in Rawalpindi
In March 2021, A group of unidentified people attacked an over 100-year-old Hindu temple at Purana Qila, causing damage to its ongoing renovation work, stairs, and doors.
The complainant said 10 to 15 people stormed the temple on Saturday at about 7:30 pm and damaged the main door and another door at the upper story as well as the staircase[6].
Shree Krishna Dwara Temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In December 2020, the Historic 100 years old Shree Krishna Dwara temple in Karak’s Teri union council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan was attacked by hundreds of Muslim jihadis who set the temple on fire.
The Jihadis surrounded and vandalized the temple for hours but the police were missing from the scene.
In July 1919, Guru Shri Paramhans Dayal was laid to rest at the site and a temple was built there. Muslim residents of the area closed the temple after the Partition in 1947.
In 2015, the Krishna Dwara temple was restored on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan the Hindus and the Muslims signed an agreement on December 22 agreeing that the renovation of the temple would not exceed the specified area. Advocate Rohit Kumar, a representative of the Hindu community, said the residents violated the agreement by vandalizing the temple[7].
Shri Ram Temple in Nagarparkar
In October 2020, Shri Ram Mandir was vandalized in Nagarparkar in the Sindh Province.
The incident happened after the Hindu community had performed prayers for the Hindu festival Navratri.
An idol of a deity was vandalized as the head of the Goddess Durga was stripped down and the face of the lion was also damaged in the temple[8].
Shree Hanuman Temple in Lyari
In August 2020, the centuries-old Hanuman Temple has been razed in Lyari locality in Karachi, Sindh Pakistan.
“It is an injustice as a place of worship has been destroyed,” decried an elderly onlooker, Mohammad Irshad Baloch. “It was an old temple. We have been seeing it since we were children.”
A resident of the area, Heera Lal, informed The Express Tribune that there had been 18 families living near the temple. “We were assured by the builder that the temple would not be destroyed,” he insisted, adding that the demolition had taken place late on Sunday evening.
"No one was allowed to visit the temple during the lockdown," explained Haresh, another resident who often visited the temple before. "He [the builder] exploited the situation [of the pandemic] and demolished our place of worship while we could not visit it," he cried, demanding that the temple be restored[9].
“We tried to enter the temple but were denied entry by the builder,” narrated a local alleging that the builder had deceived the residents living there.
Lord Krishna Temple in Islamabad
In July 2020, several Muslim clerics who had ruled that no Hindu temple should be built, because Pakistan is a Muslim country Citizens denounced the government for using their taxes to provide funding for the temple. And media outlets openly campaigned to shut the project down[10].
The fever pitch around the temple finally erupted when a group of Muslim men led by their clerics destroyed the partially constructed temple with iron rods, swords, and even stones. claiming it was their Islamic duty to do so. They gleefully filmed their exploits and posted them on social media.
None of the vandals was arrested.
Hindu Temple in Golarchi
In June 2020, a Hindu temple was converted into a mosque in Golarchi, Sindh. Most inhuman is the forceful conversion of over 100 Hindus to Islam
Mata Rani Bhatiyani Devi temple in Chachro
In January 2020, another testimony of the level of religious intolerance and hatred of Pakistan was shown when the brutal attack by Islamist extremists on the Mata Rani Bhatiyani Devi temple in Chachro, Tharparkar in Sindh.
The mob had proceeded to vandalize the temple, desecrate the area and damage the goddess’ statue. The mob had also blackened the face of the idol.
Religious places are also being targeted amid reports of frequent abductions and forced conversions of Hindu girls. It is in Sindh that minorities are being tortured the most. Miscreants are continuously religiously targeting the temples and holy places of the minorities.[11]
Sham Sundar Shewa Mandli temple in Kumb
In February 2019, an arson attack on a Hindu Temple spread unrest in Kumb, a town in the Khairpur district of Sindh province.
The suspects entered the temple at around 6 pm (local time) and set fire to idols and three sacred books, including Bhagwad Gita and Guru Granth Sahib, which were kept in separate rooms. The fire destroyed the books and the idols. Later terror minded Pakistanis fled from the scene[12].
Attack on Nankana Sahib
It’s not only Hindus but other minorities like the Sikh community and their worship center i.e., Gurudwara are under constant attacks.
How can one forget the attack on the Sikh pilgrimage Nankana Sahib, which is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, was led by the man was had earlier abducted and forcefully married Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, the daughter of the “Granthi / Priest” at the Gurudwara?
All the minorities in Pakistan whether they are Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Shias, or Ahmadis; are facing mass conversions, rapes, forced marriages, and extra-judicial killings.
As per reports, Pakistani human rights activist and spokeswoman for Justice for Minorities in Pakistan Anila Gulzar said that only 20 temples out of 428 are left in Sindh[13].
Terror Sponsored Pakistan Government “Double Standards”
Whenever any communal atrocity is done by Pakistan extremists, a paltry statement by Pakistan’s minister makes headlines in Pakistan but no real action is ever taken. For instance when the Hindu temple in Karak was burned down, then Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari condemned the burning of the Hindu temple.
“The KP Government must ensure culprits are brought to justice. Ministry of Human Rights is also moving on this,” she said on Twitter.
"We as a government have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all our citizens and their places of worship".
But the reality is otherwise.
In fact, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in July 2021 decided to withdraw cases against 350 people accused of burning down the Hindu temple claiming the Hindu community had “pardoned” the mob[14], a completely White Lie.
Also, India Government just release a statement condemning atrocities done against Hindus. When in June 2022, Shri Mari Mata Mandir, Karachi’s Korangi was attacked, in his press briefing on June 9, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has noted the recent vandalization incident.
“We believe this is another act in the systematic persecution of religious minorities,” he said.
Bagchi added that India has conveyed its protest to the Pakistani government “and again urged to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of its minority communities.”
Is Conveying Protest enough for the Indian Government? Isn’t a strong and Powerful action needed by India?
“Terror State” Pakistani authorities & Army-dictated media leave no domestic or international platform to make incoherent lies about the oppression of minorities in India. But never looked in his own backyard to check the real condition of Pakistanis minorities i.e., Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmedis, and Christian which have been rassling for survival since Pakistan’s creation.
Pakistan is only Terror Heaven for World terrorists like “Osama Bin Laden” but has also ranked number one as “The worst violator of Human Rights” and is no longer a safe place for religious minorities to live.
It never was from the fateful day it was created; however, the intolerance and ill-treatment have grown at an alarming level over the last 30 years.
The irony of the 21st century is that all the International Organisations like IARF, USCIRF, Amnesty, etc., became deaf and dumb when persecution of minorities and destruction of its religious places are carried out in Pakistan. Will they wake up when Pakistan will become Afghanistan as far as minorities are concerned?
[1] Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws: “Snare for Hindus, Jews, Christians, Shias, And Other Pakistani Minorities ” – Trunicle
[2] Hindu Temple Vandalised in Pakistan’s Karachi (thewire.in)
[3] Pakistan: Hindu temple in Sindh looted and vandalised, CCTV footage goes viral (opindia.com)
[4] Pakistan: Hindu temple in Sindh province vandalised, valuables looted ahead of Diwali (republicworld.com)
[5] Pakistan: Minorities tense as 8 temples attacked in 18 months | NewsBytes (newsbytesapp.com)
[6] 100-year-old temple attacked in Rawalpindi – Pakistan – DAWN.COM
[7] Historic Hindu temple set ablaze in KP’s Karak – Pakistan – SAMAA (samaaenglish.tv)
[8] Pakistan: Goddess Durga’s idol vandalised in Nagarparkar after Navratri – South Asia News (wionews.com)
[9] Pre-Partition temple allegedly razed in Lyari (tribune.com.pk)
[10] Islamists Block Construction of First Hindu Temple in Islamabad – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
[11] ननकाना साहिब में हमले के बाद अब पाकिस्तान के सिंध में हिंदू मंदिर में तोड़फोड़ – hindu temple vandalized by miscreants in pak sindh province – AajTak
[12] Pak: Hindu temple vandalised, holy books, idols burnt | Business Standard News (business-standard.com)
[13] Another Hindu Temple vandalised in Pakistan (aninews.in)
[14] Pakistan to withdraw cases against 350 accused in burning Hindu temple (opindia.com)
