SC orders K-P govt to restore Karak temple in two weeks

(Karachi) The Supreme Court has directed the authorities to restore the Krishna Dwara temple in Karak’s Teri union council within two weeks, local media reported on Tuesday. The temple was vandalised and set ablaze by hundreds of people on December 30, 2020.

The SC's ruling comes after the Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed took suo motu notice of the case a day after the incident.

As per details, the top court ordered the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and Auqaf department to commence work on restoring the temple and submit a progress report in two weeks.

Giving his remarks, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that the people, who vandalised the temple, should pay for its restoration.

The court has also asked for reports on the number of temples in Pakistan, encroachment on land belonging to the Auqaf department, and the steps taken by the authorities against land grabbing.

Earlier, hundreds of people attacked and set fire to a Hindu temple in Karak. Videos of the incident also circulated on social media showing men using hammers to damage the temple walls as thick grey smoke rose up from the site.

Later, the police registered a case against 20 people and and nabbed the culprits.

The SC formed a one-man commission on the rights of minorities that submitted its report on the Karak temple vandalism. Dr Muhammad Shoaib Suddle prepared the report.

The commission recommended a comprehensive investigation into the vandalism at the temple. The statements of all witnesses should be recorded and evidence gathered against the culprits.

The report highlighted that Maulvi Sharif, the main suspect in the case, incited people to violence. The record of the temple land at the time of Partition should be looked into too and ensure that the record has not been tampered with, it stated.