The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday gave authorities two weeks to start the reconstruction of the Hindu temple demolished by a mob in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak. The temple was demolished and set on fire by hundreds of people on December 30.
According to reports, the Supreme Court of Pakistan directed authorities Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Auqaf department to start the work immediately and submit a progress report in two weeks. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that the people, who vandalised the temple, should pay for its restoration.
On Monday, a one-man commission on the rights of minorities submitted its report to Pakistan's Supreme Court on the vandalisation of a Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, recommending that the shrine's land should be retrieved from land grabbers and the government should conduct a detailed inquiry into the attack.
The commission's chairman, Shuaib Suddle, visited the temple in the Karak district and presented a comprehensive report in the case to the Supreme Court after it asked the Commission to probe the attack.
The report suggested collecting all the relevant details and evidence in the case. It also suggested to the KPK government to retrieve the temple land from the land grabbers.
Protesting against the expansion work at the shrine, a mob led by members of a radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (Fazal ur Rehman group) demolished and set on fire the temple, which also had a samadhi of a Hindu religious leader, on December 30. Over 350 people have been named in the FIR. So far, 100 people have been arrested.
The commission's report further suggested to the government to ensure giving rights to the minorities in the Karak district of the province. The commission also met the province's Chief Minister Mehmud Khan.
The provincial government assured to reconstruct the samadhi and the temple in consultation with the Hindu community, the report added.
The attack on the temple drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu community leaders. India has also lodged a protest with Pakistan over the vandalisation of the temple and sought strict action against those responsible for the incident.
(Inputs from PTI)
