 "All about the Hindu temple being rebuilt in Pakistan for $36,000")
A Hindu temple was rendered dysfunctional in Pakistan’s Punjab province in 1960. Now, 64 years on, it will be reconstructed.
A budget of Pakistani Rs 1 crore ($36,000 or INR 30 lakh) has been issued to rebuild the temple. Pakistani media outlet, Dawn News, reported that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has started the construction of the Baoli Sahib temple in Zafarwal town of Narowal a city on the western bank of river Ravi in Punjab. ETPB is a federal body overseeing minority worship places in Pakistan.
Here is all you need to know about the Hindu temple
Why is Pakistan restoring the Hindu Temple?
The Narowal district of Punjab currently lacks a Hindu temple. This has forced Hindus living there to perform religious rituals at home or travel to temples in Sialkot and Lahore. There are over 1,453 Hindu people currently residing in Narowal.
According to the Pakistan Dharamsthan Committee, the Narowal district had 45 Hindu temples after the establishment of Pakistan. However, over time all of them fell into disrepair and now there is no place in the region where Hindus can worship.
Who is advocating for the rebuilding of the temple?
For the longest time, the Pakistan Dharamsthan Committee has advocated for the restoration of Baoli Sahib temple, said Ratan Lal Arya, former president of the Pak Dharamsthan Committee. Now, the ETPB is overseeing the construction on four kanals (a unit) of land and the boundary wall is the priority, reports Dawn.
Two main figures have played a key role in the rebuilding effort of the temple: Shoaib Siddal, chairman of the One Man Commission of the Supreme Court and Manzoor Masih, member of the National Commission of Human Rights.
Sawan Chand, president of the Pak Dharamsthan Committee, said the restoration of Baoli Sahib temple would fulfil a long-standing demand of the Hindu community, allowing them to perform their religious rituals at the site.
Once the temple restoration is completed it will be handed over to the Pakistan Dharamsthan Committee.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus live in the country. The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions, and language with their Muslim fellows.
Hindu temples demolished in Pakistan
Last year, a 150-year-old temple in Karachi was demolished after it was declared an old and dangerous structure. This left the Hindu community in shock. According to the caretaker, the temple, which covered some 400 to 500 square yards in the area, had been the target of land grabbers and developers for years, reported news agency PTI.
In another incident, a group of assailants attacked a Hindu temple with ‘rocket launchers’ in Sindh’s Kashmore on July 16 last year. The assailants attacked the temple and the adjoining homes belonging to Hindus under the jurisdiction of the Ghouspur police station, PTI quoted local media outlets.
With inputs from agencies
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