MANDIRS are central to the way of life to Hindus not just in Pakistan, but all over the world. However, in Karachi, these beautiful and unique structures are often hidden from the public eye. The number of Hindu temples in Pakistan has dwindled since independence.

This decline in Hindu holy sites is due to a plethora of reasons. Institutionally, Hindu holy sites are fully protected under the Pakistani constitution and there is a supported precedent from various Supreme Court rulings to ensure that there are no legal grounds for any desecration, disrespect, or antagonism against Hindu holy places. Unfortunately legal rulings do not ensure that such policies are enforced on a grassroots level and there is a noticeable bias against those of minority religions such as Hinduism. This type of discrimination, no matter to what extent it is being done, or what extent it is underreported, is due to the Hindu emigration from Pakistan.

In the 1951 census, West Pakistan had 31.6 per cent Hindu population, According to the 1998 Pakistan census, however, Hindus constituted about 1.6pc of the total population.

The Pakistan Hindu Council estimated that about 5,000 Hindus migrate from Pakistan to India every year.

The Shiv Mandir in Clifton is a massive sprawling structure which has been almost entirely at underground level. The site is a large complex with the capacity to hold many thousands of devotees or the only hint that such a structure exists is a lone doorway at the edge of a park surrounded by a few stalls selling anything from petals to biscuits.

Shri Swaminarayan maandir in the lighthouse district is an exception to the rule. It is a proud structure dominating the square it has been built in. Yet the whole block built around it is itself is surrounded by community walls built behind houses.

The Mandirs of Karachi are hundreds of years old and are engraved into the deep culture of what the city was, is and what will be. They are the living history of the city and they should be treated as such.

Senan Khawaja

Lahore

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2019