Police arrest 'key suspect' in Hindu temple attack

A key suspect in the  attack on the Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district, Maulana Faizullah, has been arrested, police said Friday.

Speaking to Geo News, Inspector General Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sanaullah Abbasi said that Maulana Faizullah, "a key suspect" involved in the demolition of the temple, had been arrested.

KP's top cop said the suspect had assisted in gathering the people who had demolished the temple, adding that as many as 110 people had been arrested.

The protection of the minorities will be ensured, the IGP added.

SC directs rebuilding of temple

On January 5, the Supreme Court directed KP government to rebuild the temple by recovering the amount from Maulvi Sharif — one of the prime suspects behind the demolition.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar heard a suo motu case pertaining to the demolition of the religious site that consists of a temple as a well as the shrine of a saint.

During the hearing, the bench was irked by the KP Police's failure to protect the Hindu temple. Justice Ahsan questioned how the incident could occur with a police picket so close by. "What was your intelligence agency doing when the mob was gathering?"

To this, KP Inspector-General Dr Sanaullah Abbasi said 92 police officials who were on duty, including the area's superintendent and deputy superintendent, have been suspended and at least 109 suspects have been arrested.

An angry mob had attacked and set ablaze the religious site in Karak. Video clips going viral on social media show hordes of people breaking and desecrating the site while chanting slogans. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was set on fire.