The National Council for Interfaith Peace & Harmony (NCIPHP) on Sunday strongly condemned the attack and desecration of the Shri Ganesh Mandir in Bhong area of Rahim Yar Khan.
In a statement, the council called the attack and desecration as defamatory action against “Pakistan’s image as a peaceful abode for all nationals, irrespective of their faith, and as per their constitutional guarantees, and the international human rights’ commitments Pakistan is a part of.”
In Bhong, a crowd attacked the temple, burning down parts of it and destroying a number of religious statues and other works of art inside. The attack took place after a court granted bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who allegedly desecrated a seminary. The boy was arrested on charges of blasphemy for intentionally urinating on a carpet within the seminary’s library, which houses religious books.
The NCIPHP leadership said that Pakistan’s constitution guarantees complete freedom and protection to all minorities and provides them equal civil rights. “We strongly condemn desecration of the Hindu temple in Bhong,” they said, adding that this incident was a nightmare against vision and efforts of the government to promote interfaith harmony and religious tolerance.
They said that such heinous actions by the terror-mongering elements in the country is heart-breaking for every sensible person.
