It would be futile to calculate and arrive at the number of Hindu temples, shrines and revered sites that existed as on partition in areas that became Pakistan compared to how many of them are now remaining or existing. Many a time, the Pakistani Government and various Government agencies are making tall but hollow claims about providing security to whatever number is now left of such ancient revered shrines and sites of Hindus. On the contrary, day in and day out, there are reports corroborated even by various Human Rights Bodies in Pakistan that there is a systematic campaign in force to vandalise and demolish Hindu temples. Just last year , there were three major such incidents – in Khyber Pakhtunwa, in Karak and in Lyari area the famous ancient Hanuman temple . Targeting Hindu temples consistently has been there in Pakistan thus human rights violations taking place blatantly.
The other part of the gory story is that most of the revered sites of minority Hindus in Pakistan are in a pitiable condition while the authorities supposed to take “care” of their upkeep are practically doing nothing which has resulted the ancient temples still standing there going into a state of decay . Even the Supreme Court of Pakistan which had set up a one man commission with supportive three members has ”viewed seriously” the neglect and the decay of most of the ancient places of worship in Pakistan. The famous and most revered Katas Raj temple in Chakwal and Prehlad Mandir in Multan were visited by the commission to find those in a state of decay and obliteration especially the two being the most important out of the four such places of worship in Pakistan.
It has been further found that out of the only existing 365 temples , a paltry number of 13 were being managed by the Evacuee Trust Property Board, 65 were the ”responsibility ” of the Hindu community there while as many as 287 were at the mercy of land mafia . No Hindu revered site has been geo-tagged even in the present era of technology. The tragedy was , as per the findings of the commission that the Evacuee Trust Property Board of Pakistan was engaged and interested only in usurping and occupying valuable properties of migrated minorities and hundreds of charitable and other institutions of the minority community have been taken over by it. Needless to add, a population of over 90 lakh of Hindus still live in Pakistan.
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