Life Of Hindu's In Pakistan

Durga temple faces destruction in Pakistan

A historical temple of Durga Mata in Pakistan's Sindh district may be destroyed within a month, thanks to the apathy of authorities, warns Tahir Ali

            The demolition of Hindu temples in Pakistan for the construction of parks, schools etc is a common phenomenon in Pakistan.

In the latest such incident, some contractors have started digging granite stones at the base of a hill, on top of which a historical temple of Durga Mata is located, in Sindh district. Despite opposition by local Hindus, the digging work is going ahead and the temple may be completely demolished within a month.

'This shows how helpless Hindus are in Pakistan'

     The ancient temple is located on top of a hill in Nagarparkar in Tharparkar district of Sindh. A number of Hindu and Jain temples are located in Nagarparkar and its surrounding areas. Most of them date back to 2,000 to 2,500 years.

Instead of trying to put a stop to the digging activity, the Sindh government has issued a lease to a contractor to carry out the work.

Veerjhi Kohli, caretaker of the temple, told, "The way the work of blasting is going on, the temple will be demolished within a month. The hill (on which the temple is located) is going to be dug up from all sides, how will the temple survive? The demolition of the temple shows how helpless Hindus living in Pakistan are."

 'We Hindus feel alienated in Pakistan'

  Veerjhi added, "Some two lakh pilgrims visited the Durga Mata temple during Shivratri. The pilgrims had protested the destruction and urged the government to stop the work, but to no avail. The work was halted during the festival but now it has resumed again."

The Pakistani media also doesn't highlight the destruction of temples, laments Veerjhi, adding that it doesn't focus on the plight of Hindus in the country.

"Neither any TV channel nor any leading newspaper reported our protests. After such incidents, we Hindus feel alienated in Pakistan," he told.    

Hindu activists have approached local political figures and other concerned authorities but none of them have offered to help. "We were shocked by the district coordination officer's remark, who said the temple was safe and there was no risk to it from the digging," Veerjhi said.

Deoband row: Panel to probe Vastanvi's pro-Modi comments

      The verdict is finally out. Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, the MBA cleric from Gujarat, will stay on as the vice chancellor of India's oldest school of Sunni Islamic learning, Darul Uloom.

Vastanvi, who had raised the hackles of conservatives by his alleged praise of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday appeared to have earned a reprieve when the highest decision-making body of the institution rejected his resignation.

In an apparent move to appease all the parties concerned, the Majlis-e-Shoora has decided to let Vastanvi stay as the vice chancellor, but also ordered an inquiry against him. What's more, a 'caretaker' VC also has been named, citing Vastanvi's frequent trips to his hometown in Gujarat.

The council has appointed a three member committee to look into the allegations against him.


"I will continue to be the VC. The final decision on my resignation will come after the three-member committee report is submitted to the Shoora. They have not been given any time-frame, but have been asked to submit the report as soon as possible. My responsibilities and duties remain the same," Vastanvi told reporters after the meeting.