Pakistani Hindu community Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to pardon a mob that destroyed and burned a 100-year-old temple in the province.
Local clergy and members of the Hindu community held a meeting on Saturday to resolve the dispute.
According to the interview, informally called ‘jigra’, the suspects filed an apology for the attack and similar incident in 1997. Islamic clerics have guaranteed complete protection for Hindus and their rights as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.
A reconciliation statement from the meeting will be presented in the High Court, with a view to having the accused released from custody.
On December 30 last year, a mob led by local clergy and members of the powerful Islamist group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam destroyed a temple and a combined ‘samadhi’ and set it on fire in Terri village in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with the local Ulema, Pakistan Hindu Council Chairman Ramesh Kumar said the incident had hurt Hindu feelings around the world.
Kumar, who is also a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf legislature, said KPK Prime Minister Mahmood Khan had chaired the ‘jirga’ process and thanked him for resolving the issue peacefully.
Mahmood Khan, speaking to members of the jirga, strongly condemned the attack, calling it an attempt to tarnish the peaceful environment of the province.
The attack on the temple has resulted in fierce criticism of human rights activists and a few Hindu community leaders, and the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of rebuilding it.
About 50 people have been arrested in connection with the case.
Following the incident, India had staged a strong protest in Pakistan. The Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed its deep concern to the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi over repeated incidents of similar incidents and harassment of members of the minority community.
India also called on the Pakistani government at the United Nations, saying local law enforcement agencies were standing as “dumb observers” during the attack on a Hindu temple.
Shadhi Paramhans Ji Maharaj Samadhi is considered sacred by the Hindu community. It was built where he died in 1919 in the Teri village of Karak.
The controversy over the summit arose many decades ago.
According to information submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014, in the case in question, Hindus visited the temple until 1997 when it was demolished by local people.
The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to rebuild and rebuild a Hindu temple.
Hindus form a very small community in Pakistan.
According to official statistics, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, more than 90 lakh Hindus live in the country.
Most Pakistani Hindus are based in Sindh province where they share cultural, cultural and linguistic values with Muslim residents. They often complain about harassment by extremists.