Pakistani Hindus to pay fines for Karak temple attackers

According to the Express Tribune, the Hindu community in Pakistan has decided to pay the fines imposed on 11 religious leaders involved in the Karak temple attack in December 2020 from the All Pakistan Hindu Council fund. According to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Rs 30.30 million should be recovered from the defendants listed in the FIR despite the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s objections after it was discovered that the local clerics who were involved in the attack were hindering its reconstruction, the report stated.

The government is rebuilding the temple, but a local cleric and a local resident objected to the expansion and ‘ordered’ the contractor to construct a boundary wall in front of the verandah, just to enrage the Hindu community. ‘The Hindu Council has decided to pay the fine of Jamait Ulemai-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) district Amir Maulana Mir Zaqeem, former district Nazim Karak Rehmat Salam Khattak, Maulana Sharifullah and eight other leaders and Rs 268,000 per person have already been paid,’ said a local resident. A total of 123 suspects are listed in the FIR, many of whom have been nominated with the help of the video footage of the attack, according to a report.

123 people had already received notices to pay their share of the fine on October 26 from the district administration. It has also been decided to confiscate their moveable and immovable property if they fail to pay the amount. Due to the fear of local clerics, the Deputy Commissioner had refused to assist the community in expanding the temple during the reconstruction phase despite the government’s involvement. Therefore, the community did not want to further enrage these clerics and decided to pay their share from the Hindu Council’s fund, Express Tribune reported.

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DC even refused even to take action against a local cleric who said the word ‘Hindu Temple’ will not be inscribed on the building’s front side. The fine has been paid already, but the accusation has now been extended to all 123. On Friday, police and the district administration once again urged the accused to pay the amount within 14 days or else strict action would be taken against them.