Rights activists say that places of worship for minorities in Pakistan are either rapidly disappearing or are subject to negligence by the state. A pre-Partition Hindu temple was recently razed in Karachi.

Hindus in the Pakistani city of Karachi demanded retribution after one of their temples and some houses were reportedly demolished on Sunday in one the busiest areas of the city. Pakistani authorities say that a court order allowed some buildings to be demolished but they deny that the temple was razed.

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani of the Pakistan Hindu Council told the media that there had been a long-running legal dispute between a builder and the Hindu residents of the area over the land. He said that the land belonged to the Hindu residents and not to the builder as claimed by the authorities.

Abdul Hai, a senior official of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Karachi, told DW that the court order did not allow the builder to demolish the buildings. “There is no complete judgment on the dispute yet,” Hai said.

Religious extremism:

Experts say that the worshipping places of Pakistani minorities are being increasingly targeted not only by Islamic extremists but also by common Pakistanis. Attacks on the members of religious minority groups and their holy places have increased manifold in the country over the years.

AmarnathMotumal, Vice Chairperson of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission’s Sindh Chapter, and also a member of the minority Hindu community, told DW “religious extremism” was the main cause of attacks on Hindus and their holy places.

“These people think that by attacking Hindus or their places of worship, they have earned a place in heaven,” he said, adding that Pakistani Hindus “are very scared and not getting any help from anywhere.”

Hai also agreed with Motumal: “Sometimes there are commercial reasons behind these attacks. But most of the time, the temples and churches are attacked for religious reasons,” Hai said. “Religious fanaticism is growing in Pakistan and religious extremist groups are getting stronger by the day. Unfortunately, the government is not doing anything to protect minorities and their places of worship.”