Complaint against security staff of Hindu temple in Pak for stopping devotees from praying

PTI, Mar 28, 2021, 5:49 PM IST

Peshawar: Two members of the Hindu community in northwestern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have filed a complaint seeking action against the security staff of an ancient Shiva temple for stopping worshippers from performing religious rituals.

The complaint was filed by Sham Lal and Sajin Lal on Saturday against the security staff of the temple in the Gandhian area in the Mansehra district of the province.

Stopping the worshippers from religious rituals in mandir (temple) is against the law of the land, the complainants said in their application.

Senator Gurdeep Singh of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, member of provisional assembly Ravi Kumar and SHO of Baffa Police Station have been made party in the complaint.

The duo has sought the intervention of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hazara division to resolve the issue and let worshippers carry out religious rituals in the temple.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.