Pakistan's Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple

Having come to know about non-existence of a Hindu Temple in the entire city of Islamabad in Pakistan, the Indian Parliamentary Affairs Committee asked the Indian government to prevail upon Pakistani authorities to construct a temple and a cemetery in Islamabad.

More than 500 Hindu families are said to be residing in Islamabad who have to go to Rawalpindi (about 25 km away) to perform religious ceremonies. “It is surprising to note that there is no Hindu temple for Hindu communities residing in Islamabad,” Ramesh Lal, who chaired the Parliamentary panel committee on religious affairs, said.

The Pakistani daily, Dawn reportedly quoted Ramesh Lal as saying “It is a fundamental right of Hindus to have a temple of their own in the city. This is just an instance that reveals how minority communities are being treated by the government there.”

Sidelining that Pakistan government’s stand that there is a security threat to a Hindu Temple, a member of the parliamentary committee questioned, “If the government could give protection to hotels, why not for temples there?”