Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court pulled up authorities Friday for failing to stop an attack on a Hindu temple in a remote town in Punjab province. It ordered the arrest of the culprits involved in the vndalising of the Hindu temple. The court observed that the incident has tarnished the image of Pakistan abroad. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who took note of the attack Thursday, presided over the hearing here.
The apex court took suo motu notice of the case. It happened after patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council Dr Ramesh Kumar met the chief justice Thursday.
Hundreds of people, carrying sticks, stones and bricks attacked the temple, burning parts of it and damaging idols. The temple is located in Bhong area of Rahimyar Khan district of Punjab province. They were protesting against the release by a court of a nine-year-old Hindu boy, who was arrested for allegedly urinating in a local seminary.
A police officer said the boy was arrested last week and booked under the blasphemy laws. Subsequently he was released on bail for being a minor. “The situation got out of control after the court granted bail to the boy,” the police official said.
“What were the administration and the police doing when the temple was attacked?” chief justice Ahmed asked IG of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, who was specially summoned to appear before the court. The chief justice said that the attack has done serious damage to Pakistan’s reputation globally according to ‘Geo News’. Ghani said that the administration’s priority was to protect 70 Hindu homes around the temple. The assistant commissioner and assistant superintendent of police were present at the scene, Ghani added.
The chief justice was not satisfied with the answer and remarked: “If the commissioner, deputy commissioner and the district police officer can’t perform, then they should be removed.” He observed that it showed that the police did nothing except watch the incident, without realising that it would damage the image of the country abroad.
“A Hindu temple was demolished and just think what it must have felt. Imagine what would have been the reaction of Muslims, had a mosque been demolished,” the chief justice observed.
The IGP tried to pacify the bench by saying that the case was registered and clauses of terrorism were added in the first information report (FIR), prompting Justice Qazi Amin, who was also part of hearing, to ask if any arrests were made so far. When the IGP responded in negative, Justice Amin said that it showed that ‘the police failed in fulfilling its responsibility’.
The chief justice pointed out that ‘three days have passed and not even one person has been arrested’ which showed lack of enthusiasm on the part of police.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution condemning the attack. It was moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan. “This House strongly condemns the ransacking of the Hindu temple,” the resolution stated.
“The Constitution of Pakistan provides complete protection to the rights of minorities and this House also affirms that rights of minorities and their places of worship will be fully protected. The whole nation and government are united on this point,” the resolution further said. It said that the House ‘reassures the Hindu community and Pakistan Hindu Council of their safety’.