Apex court orders reconstruction of Hindu temple

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to start reconstruction of the Hindu temple that was damaged by a mob in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) last week and suggested the money for repairs be footed by the perpetrators.

A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar heard a suo motu case regarding the burning of the temple in Karak, during which the court gave a number of directives to the ETPB, a federal body founded in 1960 to look after the “Evacuee Trust Properties / Land left over by the Sikh/Hindus who migrated to India during partition in 1947-48”, according to its official website.

Among the orders the apex court gave to the ETPB, were to submit a report on temples and Gurdwaras across the country. It also ordered action against ETPB officials involved in facilitating land-grabbing of protected properties. The court sought details regarding the number of pending cases against ETPB properties and directed the ETPB chairman to immediately visit the site of the damaged temple and begin its reconstruction.

The suo motu hearing came after a mob last week descended on the temple—after protesting against renovations being made to an adjoining building. During the hearing, Minority Commission Chairman Shoaib Suddle said the KP ETPB “failed to protect the temple site”. “The incident brought disrepute to the whole country,” he added.

Justice Ahsan asked the KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) how the incident occurred despite a police picket being located close to the temple. He asked what law enforcement agencies were doing when a large number of people gathered.

The IGP replied that a superintendent of police and a deputy superintendent of police, along with 92 officers, had been suspended and a case would be filed against the police officers. He also said around 109 people involved in the attack were also arrested.

The KP police chief said a political group held a gathering at the venue, which was sponsored by Maulana Faizullah. “Out of six clerics, only Maulvi Sharif incited the protest,” he alleged. He said the protesters remained peaceful until an inflammatory speech by Sharif. A lawmaker, who attended the hearing, said Sharif had also led a mob in a previous demolition of the temple in 1997.

The CJP said it was duty of the police to enforce the law. “Suspension of police officials is not enough as they will continue to receive their salaries,” he added.

He remarked that the incident “brought shame to the entire country as pictures of the incident were circulating on social media around the world”.

Pakistan Hindu Council Patron and Member of National Assembly Ramesh Kumar Vankwani told the court his community held two major festivals in the temple. “About 400 people visit the temple in a month,” he added.

Vankwani said Maulvi Sharif had also demolished the temple in 1997. He said the ETPB had not restored the temple despite the apex court’s order at the time. The Hindu Council got the temple restored after paying Rs40 million, he added. He alleged there was a lot of corruption in KP’s ETPB.

Justice Gulzar said the government’s writ should be maintained. “This has all been done by Maulvi Sharif and he [Maulvi Sharif] will be out of jail after securing bail in a few days.” The KP Chief Secretary said a fresh contingent comprising 100 police personnel was being deployed at the temple, and the restoration work of the temple would begin immediately at the government’s expense.

However, the CJP asked the chief secretary to recover the money from “Maulvi Sharif and his gang”. “They will do the same thing again until they are made to pay for the damage from their pockets,” he said. The apex bench ordered all reports regarding the case to be submitted within two weeks and adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court building, KP police chief Sana Ullah Abbasi said two people had been named in the criminal complaint. One has been arrested and police teams are searching for the other, he added. He said the political party’s gathering was about Samadhi. Maulvi Sharif “provoked the people” by addressing the gathering, he added. He said Maulvi Sharif had nothing to do with the party and he delivered a “provocative speech” of his own accord. “This incident does not belong to any religious party,” he added. He said other police personnel including DSP and SHO have been suspended for negligence.