EDITORIAL: It came as a breath of fresh air in the prevailing atmosphere of intolerance when Prime Minister Imran Khan approved a 100 million rupees grant for the construction of a temple for Islamabad's 3,000 Hindus. But the optimism the announcement created did not last long. Last Friday, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) stopped construction of a boundary wall for the temple, citing building control laws under which no activity could take place on a plot until the building plan was approved. Moreover, the Islamabad High Court has disposed of three petitions filed against the construction of this temple, observing that the construction of a place of worship requires mandatory approval of the CDA. But the real reason, it is increasingly appears, is the opposition to the project by seminary clerics as well as the JUI-F and PML-Q. A CDA enforcement department officer is reported to have acknowledged that normally all owners are allowed to construct boundary wall and secure possession of their plot while formalities regarding approval of the building plans continue. In this case, the Hindu Panchayat had a genuine reason to build the wall.
Notably, the Panchayat had wanted land for temple in the capital city, which was allotted to it in 2016 on the recommendation of the National Commission for Human Rights. Soon after it took possession of the plot, some people supported by seminary students set up tents on it in an obvious attempt to prevent construction of the temple. It took several months for the Panchayat to reclaim the plot with the administration's help. However, the community failed to collect sufficient funds for the construction work, so it requested the Prime Minister for a grant of Rs 100 million which he accepted, thereby keeping his oft articulated vow to follow the vision of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah for Pakistan. Yet, the government has now decided to refer the issue to the Council of Islamic Ideology.
It seems to have gotten cold feet in the face of opposition from certain religious elements as well as its own coalition partner, PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi, who has opposed the temple construction arguing that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, and to build a Hindu temple is against Islam. First of all, there is no Islamic injunction that prohibits helping a minority community build a place of worship. Secondly, if it is to be accepted that minority communities' concerns are not to be addressed, Pakistan will have no locus standi to object when the Hindutva zealots in India demolish old mosques and attack Muslims in that country for their faith. Last but not least, Pakistan was created as a Muslim homeland, in which according to the vision outlined by its founding father in his famous speech to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, all citizens irrespective of their caste, creed or religion were to enjoy the same socio-religious freedoms. It is about time Imran Khan upheld his pledge to follow the Quaid's legacy and ensured that his decision about construction of the Hindu temple is implemented in letter and spirit.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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