A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court against the demolition of a 150-year-old Hindu temple in Peshawar’s old city. The petitioners, Muhibur Rehman and Waqif Saleem, seek orders to place the ancient structure under the administrative control of the archaeology department. They claim that the government had sealed the property and arrested two tenants after reports of changes made to the temple’s building. However, they say that influential elements resumed the temple’s demolition to construct a commercial plaza. The petitioners also quote the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s spokesman as saying that the government had taken steps to protect the temple, which is reserved for minorities. The deputy commissioner and archaeology director formally sealed the temple’s premises, but the petitioners claim that influential elements could not be stopped from demolishing the temple. The temple is over one-and-a-half century old and still appears fresh and firm.
Pakistan Court Seeks to Stop ‘Secret Demolition’ of Hindu Temple
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