Peshawar: The Hindu community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan has decided to pardon the mob that burned down a century-old temple last year.
A meeting to the effect was held between the local clerics and members of the Hindu community to find out an amicable solution to the issue.
The accused have tendered an apology over the attack and a similar incident in 1997. The Muslim clerics have assured full protection to the Hindus and their rights as per the country’s Constitution.
Worthwhile to mention here that on December 30 last year, a mob led by some local clerics and members of radical Islamist party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam vandalised the temple and an adjoining ‘samadhi’ and set it ablaze in Terri village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district.
Pakistan Hindu Council Chairman Ramesh Kumar, speaking to the media after the meeting with the local Ulema, said the incident had hurt the feelings of Hindus across the world.
Kumar, who is also a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker, said KPK Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had chaired the ‘jirga’ proceedings and thanked him for settling the matter amicably.
Nearly 50 people have been arrested in the case.
Following the incident, India had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs had conveyed its serious concerns to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi over the repeated instances of similar incidents and atrocities against the members of the minority community.
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.
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