FILE - Police officers stand guard in Karachi, Pakistan
Highlights
- The incident was reported from Karachi's Korangi area
- Hindus residing in the area are now in panic and fear
- Police personnel have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident
Pakistan: In the latest incident of vandalism against the places of worship of minorities, a Hindu temple in Pakistan's Karachi city was vandalised on Wednesday. According to the police, the idols placed inside Shri Mari Maata Mandir in Karachi’s Korangi area were destroyed. The temple is located in "J" area within the limits of Korangi police station.
The incident led to panic and fear among the Hindu community residing in Karachi, particularly in the Korangi area, where police were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.
An eyewitness said six to eight individuals entered the area on motorcycles and attacked the temple.
Meanwhile, a case was registered against unknown persons in the case.
Cases of temple vandalism in Pakistan
Temples belonging to the minority Hindu population in Pakistan are often the target of mob violence. In October, a historical temple located at the bank of the Indus River in Kotri was allegedly desecrated by unidentified people.
Local residents said that an unidentified person entered the temple premises and vandalised the idols of their deities after midnight.
In August, dozens of people reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple in the town of Bhong and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway after an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary, was granted bail by a local court.
Following the court’s decision, a mob of young men gathered and vandalised the Shree Ganesh Hindu temple in the town, according to the paper.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.
The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.
(With inputs from PTI)
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