Pakistan: Muslims attack two Hindu temples in 24 hours

In less than 24 hours, two Hindu temples were attacked and torn down in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. While such barbaric actions are not unheard of in the South Asian countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan, one would imagine that the Pakistanis, shaken with poverty and financial breakdown, would channel their energies towards something productive. However, staying consistent to their 75-year-old history of violence and bigotry, some Muslims in the failing country chose to vandalize Hindu temples and traumatize the declining minorities.

The first attack was carried out on Friday, July 14, in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar police station area. As per reports, the Hindu community in the neighborhood woke up on Saturday to find the 150-year-old Mari Mata Temple razed to the ground. The locals said that the demolition occurred on Friday night, when the area was dark and without electricity. The diggers and a bulldozer arrived to tear down the temple in the dead of night. They reportedly left the outer walls and the temple’s main gate intact, but demolished the entire internal structure. The residents also stated that they witnessed a police mobile providing cover to the men who were operating the destructive equipment in the area.

The priest of another nearby Hindu temple, Ram Nath Mishra, informed the Pakistani news daily, Dawn: “It was a very old temple. We have also heard stories about old treasures buried in its courtyard.” He added that the temple is spread across 400 to 500 square yards and has been in the eye of the land grabbers for some time now.

The priest also said that the Madrasi Hindu community of Karachi managed the vandalized temple. It was said that the structure was old and fragile and might have toppled any day. After much pressure, the administration relented to move most of their deities to a tiny room near the stormwater drain and left the main temple for renovation. “But last night, the Mari Mata Mandir was flattened,” he lamented. The Hindu community has alleged that one Imran Hashmi has been forcing them to vacate the property and sell it off in exchange for 70 million rupees with forged documents.

Though the  Sindh government has contested the Hindu community’s claims regarding the temple’s demolition, they have ordered police and local administration to stop further construction or demolition work at the site.

While this news was still fresh, another Hindu temple in Sindh came under attack in Sindh’s Kashmore area. A band of dacoits attacked the Hindu temple and neighboring houses belonging to the Hindu community in the early hours of Sunday. They fired indiscriminately at the temple and adjoining home, clearly hoping to cause damage to life and property. The Bagri community opens this temple annually to perform religious services; the temple was closed at the time of the attack. The local police have reported that eight to nine gunmen were involved in this violence. They also fired rocket launchers to destroy the temple. Fortunately, the launchers failed to explode, causing no loss of life. This incident occurred days after dacoits in the Kashmore and Ghotki riverine areas issued threats to tear down Hindu places of worship and attack Hindu community members as a  retaliation for the “Seema Haider PUBG love story.”

Seema Haider is a Pakistani woman, a mother of four, who reportedly fell in love with an Indian Hindu man, Sachin, while playing a mobile game, PUBG. She crossed the Indian border illegally with her four children and stayed in India until the authorities were notified. She has since been arrested, released on bail, and suspicions about her being a spy are rife.

However, the case of Seema Haider – Jakhrani has no connection to the Bagri Hindu community in Pakistan. This marginalized community is designated the “scheduled caste” in the Pakistani Constitution.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has condemned the act and said that it was alarmed at the “deteriorating law and order in the districts of Kashmore and Ghotki in Sindh, where some 30 members of the Hindu community — including women and children — have allegedly been held hostage by organized criminal gangs.”

Shiva Kacchi, head of the Pakistan Derawar Ittehad organization, “Every day, dacoits who hide in the riverine areas are doing live videos threatening to kill and kidnap Hindus, torture their women and attack their worship places and homes in retaliation for Seema Jakhrani case.” Kacchi also said that unless the government took punitive action against these dacoits,  attacks on the Hindus and their places of worship would continue.