Rebuild Karak shrine, orders CJ

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmad Monday directed the authorities concerned to rebuild the shrine of a Hindu saint in Karak that was burned last year by a mob. The orders from the country’s top judge came during the hearing of a suo motu case related to the rights of minorities and the Karak shrine incident.

The chief justice asked if the government had arrested anyone for the offence or any recoveries had been made in this regard. Ikram Chaudhry, the Evacuee Trust Property lawyer, said no recoveries had been made for the loss caused to the shrine adding that the government had approved Rs3,41,00,000 for rebuilding the shrine.

Justice Ijaz ul Hasan said the court had issued directives for recovery of the financial loss from those who had torched the shrine so that it served as a deterrent. MNA Ramesh Kumar informed the court that no recoveries could be made as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had said that Karak was a sensitive area.

"The Hindu community should reconstruct the shrine. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will pay the cost of reconstruction," he said. Advocate general KP said as per law, tenders will have to be issued for reconstruction of the shrine. To this, the chief justice directed the authorities to immediately rebuild the shrine.

He directed the authorities to give a timeline to the court on when the shrine will be rebuilt. Justice Gulzar also directed the authorities to ensure that Prahladpuri temple in Multan was prepared for the Hindu festival Holi.

The chief justice also directed the authorities to ensure foolproof security at the Prahladpuri temple. On December 30 last year, a shrine in Karak was set ablaze by a mob. The video clips of a crowd chanting slogans and desecrating the shrine went viral on the social media. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was set on fire.