The federal agency in charge of minorities’ places of worship in the country declared on Wednesday that a 1,200-year-old Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Lahore city will be restored after ‘illegal invaders’ were forced out of it following a protracted legal battle.
The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) took custody of the Valmiki temple belonging to a Christian family last month. It is close to the well-known Anarkali Bazaar Lahore.
Aside from the Krishna Temple, the Valmiki Temple is the sole remaining temple in Lahore.
The Christian family, which claims to have converted to Hinduism, has only permitted Hindus of the Valmiki caste to attend temple services for the past twenty years.
According to a ‘master plan,’ the Valmiki Temple would be restored in the next days, ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI.
‘Today at the Valmiki Temple, more than 100 Hindus, some Sikhs, and Christian dignitaries gathered. Hindus carried out their religious rites while eating lungar for the first time after it was taken from the grabbers,’ Amir added.
A representative of the ETPB stated that the land that belonged to the temple was transferred to the ETPB in the revenue records; however, the family, asserting that they were the true owners of the property, brought a civil complaint in 2010-2011.
He asserted that the family not only brought a lawsuit, but also constructed a temple just for Valmiki Hindus. The only option left to the trust was to take the case to court.
The official went on to say, ‘This time the court also reprimanded the petitioner for false claims.’
In India, the Valmiki Temple was invaded by a vengeful mob in 1992 after the Babri Masjid was destroyed. It broke cooking utensils and dishes, smashed the idols of Krishna and Valmiki, and stole the gold that had been used to embellish the statues.
The temple was destroyed by fire and left in ruins. The flames that sparked in the local shops took the authorities days to extinguish.
The ETPB spokesman claims that a one-man commission appointed by the Pakistani Supreme Court recommended to the government that the temple be renovated so that the Hindu community may have better workshop facilities.
‘The ETPB, however, was unable to begin restoration work at the temple built on more than 10 marlas of land valued at millions after the lawsuit,’ the spokeswoman added.
Temples and lands that Sikhs and Hindus who went to India after the Partition left behind must be maintained by the ETPB. It is in charge of 150 temples and 200 gurdwaras throughout Pakistan.
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