Pakistan has opened a 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in eastern city Sialkot for “worship” for the first time since partition on the demand of the local Hindu community, officials said on Monday.
The Shawala Teja Singh temple, located in city’s congestedDhaarowal locality, some 100-km from Lahore, is more than 1,000 years old,according to the book ‘History of Sialkot’ by the late Rashid Niaz.
“The Evacuee Trust Property Board, which looks after theholy places of minorities in Pakistan, has opened Shawala Teja Singh templeafter the partition on the demand of the local Hindu community,” ETPBspokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI.
He said since there was no Hindu population earlier residingin the city the temple was closed for worship.
“The temple was partially damaged during attacks on templeshere in reaction to Babri Mosque in 1992,” he said, adding that the ETPBcarried out restoration work of the temple on the direction of Board chairmanDr Amir Ahmed recently.
ETPB Deputy Director Fraz Abbas told PTI that therestoration work of this temple is still underway and the board is expected tocomplete it shortly.
“The temple has been opened for worship for the first timesince partition. Some 2,000 Hindus are residing in this locality and they areso happy to visit their centuries old worship place. Now a good number of localHindus are visiting it. Hindus from other parts of the country are also expectedto visit this temple,” he said.
Abbas said the visiting Indian Hindus will also be taken tothis temple.
Local Hindu leaders Rattan Laal and Rumaish Kumar havewelcomed the government’s step to restore the temple and open it for theminority community.
Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live inPakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are livingin the country.
Majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindhprovince where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslimfellows. PTI