ISLAMABAD: Members of the Minorities commission on Friday slammed the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for not taking proper care of temples belonging to the Hindu community and gurdwaras of the Sikhs.

Talking to media after a visit to Katas Raj Temple in Chakwal and Prahlad Temple in Multan on the orders of the Supreme Court, MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who is also patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council, said the ETPB was an incompetent entity.

He said the historic Prahlad Temple was one of the sacred sites in Hinduism, but it was in miserable condition and needed urgent attention of the board.

Dr Kumar said Prahlad Temple was demolished by local extremists in response to the Babri Masjid tragedy in India.

The Commission headed by Dr Shoaib Suddle, and its members MNA Dr Vankwani and Advocate Saqib Jilani visited the two sites to inspect their conditions.

Dr Vankwani informed the media that the Holi festival originally started from Prahlad Temple in Multan.

“It s expected that on the orders of the Supreme Court, the Prahlad Temple would soon emerge as the best example of interfaith harmony and religious tolerance,” he said adding that, “but the ETPB, instead of taking care of Hindu temples and gurdwaras, is more interested in making money from selling evacuee properties.”

He said the commission would also visit Hinglaj Mata Temple in Balochistan and Sindh next week.

“If a local Muslim national can be authorised to take care of the Muslim minority’s religious properties in India then why in Pakistan, every government is reluctant to appoint a Hindu chief of ETPB for the last 74 years,” Dr Ramesh questioned.

According to him, the first prime ministers of Pakistan and India, Liaquat Ali Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru, signed a remarkable agreement in New Delhi in April 1950.

Under the Liaquat-Nehru Accord, both governments agreed to provide equal civic rights to the minorities and protection, he said.

Dr Ramesh Kumar also demanded that a case of criminal negligence be initiated against officials for not performing their duties to protect temples and other religious places, adding that the restoration of historic temples would help project a positive image of Pakistan on the international level.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2021