Pakistan Karachi: century-old Hindu temple turned into auto repair shop

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Pakistan Karachi: century-old Hindu temple turned into auto repair shop

So long as it's someone else's religion being defamed - Muslims turn a blind eye.

The department of Auqaf has given management of the place of worship to a private entity, which has transformed the buildings of the temple into shops, and the courtyard of purification into a garage. For the Hindu Council, it is "an unparalleled offence".

Karachi (AsiaNews) - A hundred-year-old Hindu temple in Karachi, known all over the city for its splendid architecture, has been turned into an auto repair shop. The department of Auqaf has, in fact, granted the management of the site to a private entity, which has turned it into a garage. For the secretary general of the Hindu Council of Sindh, "this is an unparalleled offence. A profanation dictated, in the best hypothesis, by ignorance".

Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the bishops' commission for justice and peace, explains to AsiaNews: “This is just the latest of many proofs of what we have been saying for some time: we don’t have rule of law in Pakistan. This is a limited case, but there are very many episodes of land and buildings stolen from the minorities, which have no way of defending themselves".

The Hindu Council has repeatedly asked the government for permission to maintain control of the temple, even offering payment, but has obtained no results. At the moment, the 14 buildings that made up the place of worship have become shops, and the courtyard that served for purification is used to store the cars that are waiting to be worked on.