SC orders reconstruction of damaged Hindu temple in Karak

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court today (Tuesday) has ordered the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to start the reconstruction of the destroyed Hindu temple in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A century-old Samadhi (shrine) of a Hindu saint in the Karak district was damaged by a large mob after local elders of a religious party in their fiery speeches at a protest demonstration demanding the removal of the temple.

A three-member bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the suo motu case. The apex court also directed the board to submit in court details of all functional and non-functional temples and gurdwaras across the country.

The CJP asked the provincial chief secretary “to recover the money for the temple’s restoration from Maulvi Sharif and his gang.” “They will do the same thing again until they are made to pay up for the damage from their pockets,” the CJP added.

The three-member bench also directed the EPTB to clear encroachments from temples across the country and take action against officials involved in the encroachments.

Dr Suddle informed the court that the KP EPTB ‘did not protect the shrine’ upon which Justice Ijazul Ahsan questioned the inspector general on how the incident could have happened when there was a police check post next to the shrine.

The official informed the SC that 109 people involved in the vandalism were under arrest while 92 police officials, including the superintendent of police (SP) and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) who were on duty at the time, were suspended.

The apex court also ordered for action to be taken against the ETPB officials involved in facilitating land grabbing of protected properties and asked for a performance report of the board’s chairman to be submitted before it.

The bench directed that details of functional and non-functional shrines, records of disputes on EPTB lands and a report on the performance of the EPTB chairman be submitted to the court in two weeks. The apex court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.