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| ‘Over 150-year-old’ Hindu temple demolished in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar, dacoits rocket Hindu temple in Sindh |
| 2023-07-17 |
I don’t know if the lads are friskier than usual, or if the Dawn editors are looking for more stories to cheer up their readers during a very wet rainy season, but today there were two reports of attacks on minority places of worship in Pakistan. [Dawn] The Hindu community in Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... woke up on Saturday morning to find the old Mari Mata Temple Soldier Bazaar had been razed to the ground. According to residents of the area, the operation took place while the area was without electricity late on Friday night. That’s when the diggers and a bulldozer arrived to do their work. While leaving the outer walls and the temple’s main gate intact, they demolished the entire inside structure. The residents have also reported that they saw a police mobile there to provide ’cover’ to the men operating the machines. They said that the Mari Mata Temple is located on Mukhi Chohitram Road, very near the Soldier Bazaar cop shoppe. "It is a very old mandir," Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj of another very old temple nearby, the Shri Punch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir, informed Dawn. "It is said to have been built over 150 years ago. We have also heard of stories about old treasures buried in its courtyard," he said, adding that it covered about 400 to 500 square yards and there had been talk of the land grabbers having their eye on it for some time now. "The mandir was under the management of the Madrasi Hindu community of Karachi and since it was being said that it was a very old and dangerous structure that might topple any day, the mandir management after much pressure reluctantly but temporarily moved most of their deities to a small room near the storm water drain until they could carry out some renovation work there," he said. "But last night the Mari Mata Mandir was just flattened," he added. A member of the Madrasi Hindu community, meanwhile, said that they were being forced to vacate by two persons, namely, Imran Hashmi and Rekha AKA Nagin Bai. There was also talk of the temple being sold off by the two named to another party for an amount of 70 million rupees and the buyers were looking to build a commercial building there. There was also a mention of some fake documents in the name of a person named ’Navaid’, allowing transfer of lease of the amenity plot to a commercial one. The community has appealed to the Pakistain-Hindu Council, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and the Inspector General of Sindh police to take notice and look into the matter on an urgent basis. Dacoits attack place of worship belonging to members of Hindu community in Kashmore [Dawn] A gang of dacoits attacked a place of worship — reportedly with "rocket launchers" —belonging to members of the Hindu community in Sindh’s Kashmore during the early hours of Sunday. The assailants attacked a place of worship and adjoining homes belonging to the community in the jurisdiction of Ghouspur cop shoppe. They fired indiscriminately, prompting a police unit led by Kashmore-Kandhkot SSP Irfan Sammo to reach the scene. The police official said that the dacoits fired "rocket launchers" at the place of worship, which was closed during the attack. He added that it opens annually for religious services conducted by the Bagri community. "The suspects fled from the scene after the attack. Police are conducting a search operation in the area," he said. SSP Sammo estimated that there were eight to nine button men, whom they were tracking in the riverine areas. Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie ducked another tomato... Dr Suresh, a member of the Bagri community, said that the "rocket launchers" fired by the dacoits failed to explode, resulting in no loss of life. He called on the police to protect the community, saying the incident had left the residents in a state of panic. Chief Minister’s Special Assistant for Human Rights MPA Surendar Valasai said officials were gathering facts about the intended target of the firing. "I have visited the spot and met the Hindu community. Inquiry into the matter and legal proceedings are being done," he told Dawn.com. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistain (HRCP) said it was alarmed by reports of "deteriorating law and order in the districts of Kashmore and Ghotki in Sindh, where some 30 members of the Hindu community — including women and kiddies — have allegedly been held hostage by organised criminal gangs". "Moreover, we have received disturbing reports that these gangs have threatened to attack the community’s sites of worship, using high-grade weapons," the commission said, calling on the Sindh Home Department to investigate the matter without delay. |
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