Hindus in Pak protest illegal occupation of religious sites

The All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement (APHRM) on Saturday staged a protest here, demanding an immediate end of the illegal occupation and the alleged selling and leasing out of the religious places by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).

Speaking at the protest, APHRM chairman Haroon Sarbdiyal said that the board had unjustly sold or rented out religious places of the minority community to businessmen.

He said the provincial government should cancel the leases and take their possession and hand them over to the minorities.

“We are opposed to the sale of the attached properties because the worship places are extremely vulnerable and it is duty of Auqaf and archaeology departments to share details of properties and worship places with Hindus and Sikhs and hand over the properties to the minority groups,” he said.

Sarbdiyal said the federal government had formed a 22-member committee to protect the rights of minorities but ironically, minorities had no representation in it.

He warned the sale of attached properties was not acceptable to Hindus. “Hindus have no objection to the shifting of Kashmiri families anywhere or giving them any lucrative place but the sale of entire attached properties should be stopped immediately,” Sarbdiyal said.

Following Saturday’s protest, the KP government in a statement on Sunday said that it had made special allocations and takes measures to protect the rights of the minorities.

It said 90 million rupees has been allocated in the provincial Budget this year for the renovation of temples, churches and gurdwaras.

Meanwhile, a government official claimed that the sealing of a Hindu temple and a Sikh gurdwara in the city were aimed at ensuring protection of the places of worship.