NEW DELHI, Oct 21: The Pakistani government is learnt to have allocated a budget of Pakistani Rs 10 million, about 36,000 US Dollars, to re-construct a Hindu temple in the Punjab province of Pakistan
This will be the first phase of restoration 64 years after it was rendered dysfunctional, Pakistani media reports said on Monday.
According to it, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the federal body overseeing minority worship places in Pakistan, has started the construction of the Baoli Sahib temple in Zafarwal town of Narowal, a city on the western bank of river Ravi in Punjab. The place of worship was rendered dysfunctional in 1960.
Currently, there is no Hindu temple in Narowal district, forcing the Hindu community to perform their religious rituals at home or travel to temples in Sialkot or Lahore. Ratan Lal Arya, former president of the Pak Dharamsthan Committee, said the ETPB’s control over the Baoli Sahib temple rendered it non-functional and the Hindu community, which numbers over 1,453 in Narowal, lacked a dedicated place for worship. At the time of establishment of Pakistan in 1947, the Narowal district had 45 Hindu temples but all of them have over time fallen into disrepair.
For the past 20 years, the Pak Dharamsthan Committee has advocated for the restoration of Baoli Sahib temple, Arya said. The government has taken steps to restore the temple to address Hindu community demands, he said. The ETPB is overseeing the construction at the four kanals of land where the boundary wall is the priority. Once completed, the temple will be handed over to the Pak Dharamsthan Committee.
Shoaib Siddal, chairman of the One Man Commission of the Supreme Court, and Manzoor Masih, member of the National Commission of Human Rights, have played pivotal roles in this restoration effort. Sawan Chand, president of the Pak Dharamsthan Committee, said the restoration of Baoli Sahib temple would fulfil a long-standing demand of the Hindu community, allowing them to perform their religious rituals at the site. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus live in the country. The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions, and language with their Muslim fellows.
(Manas Dasgupta)