New ray of hope

The year 2021 dawned with a ray of hope for the minority Hindu community of Pakistan. During my meeting with Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry immediately after the tragic attack on the holy Samadhi (tomb) of Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj, he expressed heartfelt grief over the tragedy. On the occasion, the chief justice directed the One-Man Commission, headed by Dr Shoaib Suddle, to visit the site and submit a fact-finding report. The hearing of the Teri attack was also fixed on January 5 for which the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, IGP KP and other higher-ups were summoned.

During our meeting, a large number of the Hindu community, on the call of the Pakistan Hindu Council, was present outside the Branch Registry to record a peaceful protest. The Pakistani Hindu community also reacted strongly on social media. The tragedy was condemned by all peace-loving circles of various schools of thought and civil society.

Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj was a God fearing and virtuous man. He was also a Hafiz-e-Qur'an, and equally popular among his followers included Hindus, Muslims and other religions. Although the local Hindu population migrated from there after Partition, Muslims used to remember him due to his good deeds. The decision to restore the Samadhi under the orders of the Supreme Court was warmly welcomed by the local population.

The Samadhi, located in the town of Teri in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is considered one of the four most important holy sites for the Pakistani Hindu community. The sacred site was demolished due to the criminal negligence of the local administration. The unfortunate incident also resulted in injuring the religious sentiments of Shri Maharaj's followers across the globe. This also reminds me of the time in 1997 when Samadhi was targeted by the same extremists. At that time, neither was any action was taken against the culprits nor an FIR registered.

The recent Supreme Court hearing once again highlighted the long-standing issue of the Evacuee Trust Properties Board. The first prime ministers of Pakistan and India, Liaquat Ali Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru, at the time of signing the Liaquat-Nehru Accord, had agreed on principle to appoint minority representatives to look after evacuee properties. That is why, a Muslim minister has always been responsible for the affairs of the Waqf Board in India since independence.

Unfortunately, the Evacuee Trust Property Board in Pakistan, which has 1288 temples and 522 gurdwaras, has long been a hotbed of corruption. Due to incompetence, only 31 temples and gurudwaras are functional. The Supreme Court, in the recent hearing, directed the ETPB to remove encroachments from the religious sites of minorities and take action against officials involved in these encroachments. The Supreme Court also ordered the ETPB to furnish a report about all functional or non-functional Hindu temples and Sikh gurudwaras across the country.

No doubt, the bold judgment has won the hearts of the minority communities in Pakistan. The laudable role of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has shown a positive picture of Pakistani society. There is now a dire need to appoint a qualified Pakistani Hindu national as head of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

The government, in light of the Supreme Court's orders and in collaboration with the One-Man Commission, should also devise a comprehensive strategy to ensure that the four major Hindu sites in Pakistan, Hinglaj Mata Temple Balochistan, Katas Raj Temple Chakwal, PrahLad Temple Multan and Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj's Samadhi / Teri Temple can lead to the promotion of religious tourism at the national and global levels.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

Twitter: @RVankwani