Pakistan: Work Begins on First Hindu Temple in Islamabad 

The Hindu community living in the Pakistan capital Islamabad will soon see a temple and a crematorium. Currently, Hindus in Islamabad have to travel out of the city to perform religious rituals. The Krishna temple will constructed on a 20,000 sq ft plot at Islamabad’s H-9 sector area. The Islamabad Hindu Panchayat has named the temple as Shri Krishna Mandir. According to Pir Noorul Haq Qadri Religious Affairs Minister. The government will own the construction cost, presently estimate to be Rs 100. Million Chand Malhi Parliamentary Secretary on Human Rights had performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Temple.

Islamabad and its Religious History

Temple to meet the demand of the Hindu community. The temple named “Shri Krishna Mandir” would comprise of space for religious rites as well as a cremation site. A long-standing demand of the minority community. The local Hindu community has been demanding the opening of a temple in Islamabad as they had to go to the twin-city Rawalpindi for worship. Parliamentary Secretary on Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi, performed the ceremony. However, he said the Hindu population in the capital has been increasing considerably. In the past two decades, making it necessary to build a temple for them to worship in.

“The Hindu community in Islamabad has been demanding a temple for a long time now. The population has also increased while many Hindu temple structures in the capital have abandoned,” he said. “Besides, there is no crematorium in Islamabad,” he added.

Pakistan rebuild Holy Sites for Minorites

Pir Noorul Haq Qadri has taken the matter up with the Prime Minister Imran Khan, to allot a special grant for the temple for its construction and maintenance. The construction support of the Hindu temple in the capital comes at a time when Pakistan government has been criticizing the Modi-led government for abusing the Indian Muslims, closing doors of mosques, allowing a Hindu temple to be made at the Babri Mosque site. In November 2019, Pakistan opened the Kartarpur Corridor facilitating Indian pilgrims a visa-free religious corridor to Darbar Sahib Gurudwara – one of Sikhism’s holiest shrine.