KP govt to rebuild Hindu temple

By News Desk

PESHAWAR: A Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) damaged by a mob last week will be rebuilt using provincial government funds, the provincial information minister said on Friday.

A mob descended on the temple — in a remote village of KP — after protesting against renovations being made to an adjoining building owned by a Hindu group. They used sledgehammers to knock down walls before setting the building ablaze.

“We regret the damage caused by the attack,” said Kamran Bangash, the provincial information minister. “The chief minister has ordered the reconstruction of the temple and adjoining house,” he told AFP.

Construction will start as soon as possible with the support of the Hindu community, he said, adding security would be provided at the site.

The Supreme Court has ordered authorities to submit a report on the temple’s damage.

The temple is located some 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Peshawar. While no Hindus live in the area, devotees often visit the temple and its shrine to pay homage to the Hindu saint Shri Paramhans, who died there before the 1947 partition. District police chief Irfanullah Khan told AFP around 45 people had been detained in connection with the incident — including a local cleric, Maulana Sharif, who is accused of inciting the mob. Khan added police were also looking for Maulana Mirza Aqeem, the district leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).