SIALKOT, Sept 24: The Hindu community in Sialkot city has not been able to worship and perform its religious rites in the Jaggan Nath temple on the Paris Road for the past several years owing to internal differences. The community has been divided into two main groups, headed by Rattan Kumar and Munshi Laal. They met on Saturday to find a solution to the dispute.

The district administration had got evacuated the temple from the Pakistan Railways in 1982, as it was located along the railway land and properties. It was demolished by a mob of Muslims in retaliation of demolition of the Babari Mosque in Ayodhya (India).

The re-construction of the temple began in March 2005 with the special discretionary funds of the then Sialkot district nazim, Mian Naeem Javed, and local MNA Khwaja Muhammad Asif. But the project crashed to a halt amid mounting tension between the two Hindu groups.

Since then the worship and performance of religious rites in the temple have not been possible, as no Hindu from any sect is allowed to enter it.

At a meeting on Saturday, the two groups agreed on two points that the name of the temple would be retained and all Hindus, irrespective of their sects, would be allowed to enter the temple for worship and performing their religious rites.

They also agreed to remove all hurdles in the re-construction of the temple.

Sialkot DO (Coordination) Amir Ejaz Akbar, who chaired the meeting, told journalists that the district administration had tried its best to unite the two Hindu rival groups, but to no avail. He, however, believed that their meeting was a good sign.