Hindu Parishad protests vandalism of temple in Pakistan

The Hindu Parishad of Bangladesh organized a demonstration at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection, protesting the recent attack on a Hindu temple in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

The organization gathered with the intention of rallying from the National Press Club to the Pakistani High Commission in Gulshan, and then surrounding the embassy.

However, being obstructed by police, their protest program was cut short and their demonstration ended peacefully at Shahbagh.

Cap 2 - A photo of Pakistani PM Imran Khan is pictured in a poster with shoes surrounding the image | Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that a Hindu temple, which was set on fire and damaged by supporters of a local cleric in the country’s Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, be restored within two weeks, the Dawn reported.

The court also observed that the people who vandalised the temple should pay for its restoration. While hearing the matter on Tuesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed said that the incident had caused “international embarrassment” to the country, according to the Dawn.

Hindu Parishad protests the vandalism and burning down of temple at a Pakistan province on Friday | Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

On December 30, a mob, led by a local cleric and supporters of a religious political party, attacked the shrine after the Hindu community was granted permission from local authorities to renovate the temple.

A First Information Report was registered against two local clerics identified as Maulana Faizullah and Maulvi Mohammad Sharif and many unidentified people.