Hindus urge authorities to save Karachi temple
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KARACHI: Hindus in Pakistan's commercial hub Karachi on Monday urged authorities to halt construction work on an underpass, which they say endangers a 150-year-old temple.
The minority community said vibrations from excavation work on a road being built just metres away from the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple could cause irreparable damage to the building's structure.
Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on Monday ordered local authorities to provide an impact report within two weeks, but a Hindu community leader said that may be too late to save the temple.
“Heavy machinery is at work right now and it is our request that the court issue a stay order,” Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council told AFP.
The temple has long been a fixture on the city's Clifton Beach, a popular recreation spot adjacent to Karachi's most upmarket neighbourhood.
According to the Pakistan Hindu Council, the temple holds a Grand Mela every year, attracting some 25,000 pilgrims.
Construction of the underpass is being financed by developer Bahria Town, which wants a road to link up to a skyscraper it is building some hundreds of metres away from the temple.
But Vankwani said even the skyscraper was built on “evacuee property” – land abandoned by Hindus at the time of India's partition.
Under the law, such property is meant to be protected by the government.
Zohra Yusuf, chairwoman of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said construction work “would vandalise the very face of a historical part of the city.”
Officials at Bahria Town could not be reached for comment immediately.
Discrimination and violence against religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan, where Muslims make up 97 per cent of the population.
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Comments (51) Closed
Mar 24, 2014 11:05pm
Religious freedom for everybody
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Mar 24, 2014 11:37pm
Open season on Hindus - anything goes. Several novel ways to get rid of the hindus - deserves a nobel prize.
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Mar 25, 2014 12:06am
I wonder what kind of responsibility the majority in Pakistan bear whenever they read these stories again and again. Don't you feel ashamed that weak are marginalized in the name of religiion and you could do something by being voice to them.
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Mar 25, 2014 12:09am
Is n't it an irony, try to chip off a corner of a mosques, thousands will come out in the street,smashing traffic lights, setting fire to near by buildings , burning tires on the road., yet it is OK to ignore 150 years old Hindu temple ..
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Mar 25, 2014 12:23am
@Ravi : You should be ashamed. Thousands of Muslims killed in India since 1947, thousands, and you people feel no shame! In Pakistan no whole sale massacre on minorities has taken place.
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Mar 25, 2014 12:37am
@GKBaloch:
Absolutely. How true. You forgot,.. looting
and stealing anything they can get their
hands on. All mullah inspired, madressah
trained patriots.
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Mar 25, 2014 01:20am
Court is requested to give order to halt excavation and construction near the temple. NESPAK should be asked to give factual position. From engine3ering point temple can be secured by carrying out under pinning and piling around the temple, after which underpass work can be carried out.
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Mar 25, 2014 01:21am
@Ravi : My friend this is not being done in the name of religion! and neither is so much of the other stuff! Today it is the easiest way to get things done by using religion. You want a piece of land build a mosque or madressah on it and then slowly usurp the property! The land mafia and these builders really do not care whether it is hindu, muslim or christian. Please also beware of agencies like AFP, AP, Reuters who only skim the surface of stories and barely get to the bottom of the story! I bet they will not report if something positive comes out of this story
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Mar 25, 2014 02:10am
This temple needs to be saved and it should be given the same level of importance and urgency as we would give a mosque.
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Mar 25, 2014 02:20am
@Shah:
Where did the Hindus go? Can you enlighten us the percentage of Hindus in 1950 and now?
Pakistan should be the last country on Earth to talk down India.
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Mar 25, 2014 02:33am
If we are true Muslim than we must saveguard the interest of our minority groups and specially their religious places. I will request the CJ of Pakistan to intervene and stop the construction of underpass which is endangering the temple as well as our historical heritage.
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Mar 25, 2014 02:59am
Media and civil society sleeping whn Mandir next to Port Grand was engulfed same way. And now the leaders of Hindu community (Mukesh Chawla, the so called flag bearer) sleeping when this was planned.
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Mar 25, 2014 03:00am
This is not fair. Had this been a mosque, we would have had blood on the streets by now. Every one has a right to practice his/her religion. Hindu community (unfortunately) is not well-to-do and not influential. They will not be able to get an impact assessment report within 2 weeks.
Shahryar
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Mar 25, 2014 03:06am
Just shift the temple?
Or,better still,just give some land so something in lieu can be constructed?
And,why did I think of Babri Masjid furor when I read this story?
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Mar 25, 2014 03:06am
babri masjid????
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Mar 25, 2014 04:26am
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Malik Riaz feeds 100 mouths and snatches from a 1000 others.
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Mar 25, 2014 04:42am
@Ravi :
I sympathise with your sentiments, however did India do anything when a mob of zealots tore down the babri mosque?
Unfortunately our region is underdeveloped, and full of self serving people. However we should preserve the history.
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Mar 25, 2014 05:25am
@Shah:
There are no minorities left in Pakistan. Muslim population has increased in India since 1947 while Hindu population has decreased to a negligible amount. Who should be ashamed?
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Mar 25, 2014 05:49am
The freedom of speech and freedom of religion is every one's right in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Make no Mistake. Yes according the public domain law governments can take over any one's property. It is incumbent upon all the citizens and government to be sensitive about religious matters. The Mandir can co-exist with the mall, highway or street. We the Pakistanis have already hurt the minorities a lot. Why the Mullas are quite. I heard a lot of noise in case of Babry Masjid but zero protest for this Mandir.
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Mar 25, 2014 05:53am
Hindus of Karachi should contact the human right groups of England and USA for help. They should also launch a protest with United Nations ASAP by email or FAX. Do not waste time. Good luck. Pakistan Zindabad.
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Mar 25, 2014 06:52am
When in minority , pretend to be secular.
When in majority , declare Islamic country.
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Mar 25, 2014 08:54am
@Shah:
You look at % of Hindus in Pakistan during partition & now... You look at % of Muslims in India during Partition & now..... You yourself will come to know the state of affair of minorities in both countries....... Though I am against very thought of having fights over religion or killing minorities, wherever/whenever it happened is wrong.... But you see in Pakistan there is no minority now, as either most of them have fled or been converted to mainstream... Go to History to enlighten yourself
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Mar 25, 2014 08:55am
@BRR:
When Muslims do not respect other religions how do they expect to be treated fairly in NON- Muslim countries. Shame on the government that practices such kind of discrimination.
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Mar 25, 2014 10:08am
@Shah:
Who is minority in India,India is a home for 2nd largest muslim population after Indonesia..
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Mar 25, 2014 10:12am
Infect, it is not a religious move, this is a heartless action from incompetent, incapable and corrupt provincial government with intentions just to raise the property value which is mostly owned by the politicians themselves
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Mar 25, 2014 10:33am
Its a shame. It is a beautiful temple inside a cave and the cave sits right below the proposed underpass. If not for religion, save this place for history. It is 150 years old.
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Mar 25, 2014 10:47am
@Shah:
Hindu from 22% during partition has come down to merely 1.5% now, still you are believing that no harm has done to this community. In India Muslims are now above 15% which is roughly more populous than entire Europe. Wake up and accept the truth who is the lord of this destruction.
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Mar 25, 2014 11:28am
Pakistan Government's insensitivity towards minorities or their culture or history is well known. However, what's heartening here are some Pakistani Muslim readers' comments condemning such acts in the name of "development". This in my view is a positive aspect. At the end every society flourishes only in its ability to hold multiple communities and their cultures. Despite incidents here and there, we in India have achieved this to a great extent. Our inclusiveness of various religious and economic groups in day to day life far exceeds most of the developing and sometimes developed countries too. Marriages between different religions is common occurrence in every city. That is key to building togetherness. I am yet to see a in Pakistan, a Hindu boy marry a Muslim girl from a known family. Even if there is an odd case, I am not sure if they're allowed to hold to their respective faiths. So, Pakistanis have to travel a long distance to see their country become an inclusive society. More such people who have advocated preserving ancient culture, irrespective of the religious basis are required to lead this change!
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Mar 25, 2014 12:15pm
Another atrocity against the Pakistani flag, this really makes me feel ashamed to be a citizen.
Perhaps the quickest way to protect this site would be to have it declared as a Heritage Building Site, as far as i know those are protected by law against any change - maybe it isn't too late.
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Mar 25, 2014 12:46pm
@Ravi :
Yes, its a matter of shame for us. I hope sense prevails soon.
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Mar 25, 2014 01:01pm
ALL places of worship are protected by law, as well as by the Constitution of the country. It is our religious duty as well.
We are all collectively responsible to raise our voices against such things if we want to make our country go forward.
I urge the Chief Minister and the Governor to kindly intervene urgently.
And why did our News media have to wait for "AFP" to discover this type of "mud". Why can't we be a bit more proactive and put it right ourselves?
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Mar 25, 2014 01:33pm
@Shah:
if no 'wholesale massacre' of minorities took place, where did all the minorities go? At the time of partition 30-40% Pakistan was non-muslim.
too dumb to think that through?
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Mar 25, 2014 02:45pm
Religion aside,this is a city's archeological treasure going back to 1860 and must be preserved.
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Mar 25, 2014 02:53pm
this is islamic republic of pakistan which was created in the name of islam. as per islamic laws, the rights of minorities and their place of worship should be safeguarded. those people who disobey islamic laws should find place somewhere else. lives and rights of minorites should be safeguarded at any cost.
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Mar 25, 2014 03:09pm
Underpass route should be redesigned to accommodate all the stakeholders especially 150-year old Hindu Temple....
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Mar 25, 2014 03:20pm
It is not Hindus who urge for protection of their religious site, but it is the demand of people of all walks of life, irrespective of their religious backgrounds, to save this historical site, which is the reflection of glorious past of Sindh, for it has been known far & wide, as a center of civilization and religious harmony. I am sure that the Govt. of Sindh, specially Mr. Bilawal Bhutto, at the backseat of the CM, will take notice of this news and order for stoppage of works before any harm is made to this historical place.
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Mar 25, 2014 04:52pm
Dear Akram,
People like you should read the book "Chasing a Mirage" by Tarik Fateh (a person of Pakistan origin). This book will enlightened you about the hypocrisy exiting in Islamic countries.
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Mar 25, 2014 07:19pm
Immediate actions are required to be taken to protect the temple.
This temple has remained of immence importance, and prayer place to minorities.
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Mar 25, 2014 09:13pm
I grew up playing around that Mandir, when ever we visited Clifton. It is a very beautiful structure with redstone and a unique place amongst the concrete-jungle called KARACHI. Secondly, it is a place of WORSHIP. How would PPP and their leaders feel, if suddenly the Delhi municipality declare the SHAHI mosque as a structure no-grata and decide to build a shopping mall in that space? Countries that do not save their past, are bound to perish.
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Mar 26, 2014 01:03am
They must immediately stop the work and compensate for the damage.
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Mar 26, 2014 01:06am
@Shah:
Two wrongs done make a right. We must protect minorities and their interest per teachings of Islam and our constitution.
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Mar 26, 2014 06:42am
The government must protect the religious sanctity wether be it belongs to Muslim, Hindu Christians or Jews. In the eyes of law all citizen must be treated equally. This is the basic lesson which Islam imparts and the constitution of Pakistan is also very clear on religious harmony.
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Mar 26, 2014 09:46am
@Shah: Really? What percent of the population of West Pakistan were Hindus at partition, and what is the percentage now? Contrast that with India, where the share of Muslims in the population has actually grown. No large scale violence of minorities? What happened to Hindus in Bangladesh in 1971? This is wilful ignorance of history and facts.
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Mar 26, 2014 10:13am
If Govt and builders demolish this Holy Temple then what difference will remain between them and those of Indian leaders and Govt who had demolished the historical Babri Masjid of helpless Muslim minority?
150 years old Hundu Temple attracting around 25000 pilgrims each year during Hindus religious congregation is more valuable than all the Bahrias' or any other Builders' projects. In accordance with the true Islamic teachings of our beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and also of Quran, demolition of such an ancient historical Temple of our fellow country men of Hindu or any other minority will be same as demolishing one of Holiest Muslims Masjid. And what difference will remain between demolishers of such a Holy Hindu Temple and the ignorant inhuman extremists and terrorists who been doing same with Pakistani minorities for long time? Under the laws of Islam forceful demolition of Worship places of minorities tantamounts for capital punishment.
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Mar 26, 2014 10:16am
Why Chief Justice of Sindh High Court wants a report to be submitted in two weeks and not in 24 hours is also questionable? Land grabbing or misuse of minorities property must be stopped immediately.
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Mar 26, 2014 11:05am
Dear Ravi I am a proud and practicing Muslim and fully agree with you that this 150 years old Temple must not be demolished by the greedy builders and corrupts in Govt authorities. Let me tell you that as per the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Quran and true Islam demolishing, or even attacking or damaging the dwellings or worship places of our fellow Pakistani Hindus or of any other minority or members of humanity is a capital crime and as such the perpetrators liable for capital punishment in Islam. But unfortunately the hate criminals, corrupts, extremists and terrorists by hijacking Islam and almost all other religions of the world, have turned to be the worst enemies of their own religions, own people and of humanity at large. In true Islam Muslim leaders and Govts are strictly commanded to protect the homes, worship places, honor and security of minorities same as of themselves. If the concerned officers of Pakistan Govt and political leaders in power and the Higher Courts fail to save the 150 years old Hindu Temple from demolition then under the laws of God and under the judgment of true Muslims there will remain no difference between them and those Indian leaders and Govt authorities responsible for the demolition of Muslims' centuries' old historic Babri Masjid at Faizabad, India.
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Mar 26, 2014 11:25am
@Shah:
You are right shah. Honestly we Indians feel ashamed on the atrocities on the minorities in india. we also feel ashamed on nearly 10 lakhs of Kashmiri hindus who have been living as nomads in their own country. Your case of whole sale massacre of minorities cannot happen. Your case it might be a retail massacre .Because their are hardly left in Pakistan. Either they are forcibly converted to Islam or killed.
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Mar 26, 2014 07:43pm
Immediate actions are required to be taken to protect the temple. This temple has remained of immence importance, and prayer place to minorities.Recommend1
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Mar 27, 2014 02:04pm
@Sanjay Kumar: I can only hope and pray that justice is done to safeguard the interests of humanity which is the basics of any religion on earth ,be it hinduism,christianity or islam.
It is the sole responsibility of the concerned departments to take serious action
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Mar 27, 2014 06:52pm
@Shah:you must be living in isolation where you think thousands of muslims are being killed in India. If they were being killed, you paks would have seen mass migrations from India across the borders into Pakistan & the numbers of muslim population wouldn't be on the rise each year in India. Instead the Hindus have been migrating to India in a hope to be safe - women & girls are being kidnapped & forcibly converted to Islam. The most persecuted people in Pakistan & Bangladesh are Hindus whose numbers have dwindled since 1947. You know the truth but won't want to admit it.
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Mar 27, 2014 07:58pm
Strongly Condemn
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