By: Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti
The recent tragic incident of burning and demolition of a Hindu leader’s samadhi and adjoining house under construction in Karak District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where there is a conspiracy to undermine inter-faith harmony in Pakistan, also highlights the failure of local administration. Why couldn’t she control the crowd in time? It is learned that the incident of damaging the Samadhi took place after the local administration gave permission to the members of the Hindu community to renovate the said place, while the local DPO also said that the expansion of the Samadhi and the temple The matter was provoked. So far, 31 people have been arrested on charges of vandalism and arson, and 350 people, including the district amir of a religious party, have been named in the case. On the Karak incident, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said that the Ministry of Religious Affairs was in touch with the religious leaders of the area for a peaceful solution to the issue. On the other hand, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has also taken suo motu notice. Expressing concern over the incident, the Chief Justice directed the Chief Secretary, IG KP and a one-member Minority Rights Commission to visit the temple. It should be noted that the Samadhi of Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj was built before 1920
Is considered sacred by the Hindu community. The controversy over Shri Ji Maharaj’s Samadhi began decades ago. The site was demolished in 1997, but in 2015 the Supreme Court ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to restore and rebuild the Hindu Samadhi. This is a very sensitive issue. There is a need to conduct a thorough investigation and resolve the issue in accordance with the rights and religious freedoms granted to minorities in the constitution and law.