125-Year-Old Temple Demolished In Pakistan's Punjab, Minority Groups Demand Rebuilding

Minority rights bodies in Pakistan have demanded the reconstruction of a nearly 125-year-old Hindu temple in eastern Punjab’s Narowal district, alleging it was reportedly razed on August 21 by members of a banned far-right Islamic outfit to expand an adjacent seminary.

Rights advocates, local residents, and minority organisations have reportedly  petitioned the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government in Islamabad and the Maryam Nawaz Sharif-led Punjab provincial government to punish the perpetrators and rebuild the structure in Siraj village, located around 130 km from Lahore.

Alleged Demolition and Encroachment

The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP), a minority-focused political organization, urged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to initiate strict action. PMMP Chairman Aslam Parvez Sahotra reportedly stated he met Punjab's Additional Home Secretary on August 28 to hand over an application accusing local officials of failing to protect the shrine.

Sahotra alleged that zealots belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) demolished the temple, which occupied nearly 1,000 square metres, and looted its metal fittings from the shikhar (canopy) along with building materials like bricks.

He highlighted that the land adjacent to the shrine had earlier been leased by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for a madrassa. Although the ETPB cancelled the lease on January 29 due to non-payment of rent and non-utilisation for the stated purpose, the eviction order was never executed, leaving the property illegally occupied.

Fear Among Local Minority Community

Rattan Lal, a Hindu community leader and member of both the Narowal District Peace Committee and the Pak Dharam Astan Hindu Committee, condemned the destruction and blamed official negligence.

"The district administration and the ETPB failed to take adequate measures to protect the site or remove the alleged occupants, ultimately allowing the temple to be demolished," Lal said. He added that local Hindu committee members are now "even afraid to visit the site because of the madrassa that continues to operate on its premises."

Rain Collapse Claim vs Security Warnings

Refuting claims of vandalism, senior ETPB official Rana Iftikhar maintained that the un-named, century-old structure fell because of torrential rains.

"The temple carries no name in our record books. However, it is a very old one, more than 100 to 125 years old," Iftikhar said, confirming that while the adjacent land was leased for a seminary, the temple land itself was never leased out.

However, an official police report from April 11 revealed that local authorities were previously alerted to security threats surrounding the temple and the risk of physical damage to the structure.

ETPB officials reportedly stated that senior department heads will make the final decision regarding the shrine's potential restoration.