India has summoned Pakistan’s Pakistani Charge d’affaires over the ransacking of a temple in the country. Incidents of violence and persecution against minority communities including attacks on places of worship continue unabated in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
On Wednesday, a Muslim mob vandalised a Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province, desecrated the idols and burned down parts of it. The mob attacked the Siddhivinayak temple at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan District, around 590 km from Lahore, cops said, in retaliation to the alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary.
The violence was fuelled over a social media post that incited people of Bhong to take revenge for desecration. Later, the mob armed with iron rods, sticks, stones and bricks started gathering outside the temple and attacked it.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, addressing a press briefing today, said, “Pakistan Charge d’Affaires was summoned and firm protest was lodged expressing grave concerns at this reprehensible incident and attacks on freedom of religion of minority community and their places of worship, calling upon Pakistan to ensure safety, security and well-being of minority communities.
“We’ve seen disturbing reports on social media of a violent mob attack on a Ganesh temple in Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, Pakistan. Mob attacked the temple, desecrated holy idols and set fire to premises. The mob also attacked surrounding houses belonging to Hindu community.”
He added, “Within the last year itself, various temples and Gurudwaras have been attacked including the Mata Rani Bhatiyani Mandir in Sindh in January 2020, Gurudwara Sri Janam Sthan in January 2020, a Hindu temple in Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Dec 2020.”
“These incidents are occurring at an alarming rate while the state and security institutions in Pakistan have stood by idly and completely failed in preventing these attacks on the minority communities and their places of worship.”
Earlier today, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International Working President Alok Kumar called Pakistan a “terrorist state” and said that its foreign aid must be curtailed.
