Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) demand protection from govt. for Hindus in Pakistan

By Rajesh Kumar (PHP Islamabad)
Thursday, June 10, 2010

  (PHOTO : leaders of Pakistan Hindu Council addressing a press conference here today in Karachi Press Club in Pakistan)

Isamabad, Jun 10 : The Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) has asked authorities to ensure the protection of the minority community and its temples even as lawmakers walked out of the Balochistan assembly to protest the killing of a Hindu trader.

The Pakistan Hindu Council has asked authorities to ensure the protection of the minority community and its temples even as lawmakers walked out of the Balochistan assembly to protest the killing of a Hindu trader.

The Pakistan Hindu Council called on the governments of Sindh and Balochistan provinces to protect Hindus in the wake of protests in Mithi town in Sindh against the desecration of an ashram.

Such protection will enable Hindus to play their role in Pakistan's development, PHC leaders said.

PHC patron Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and president Raja Assermal Manglani told reporters at the Karachi Press Club yesterday that a man named Photo Bajeer had entered the Saint Nenuram Ashram at Islamkot in Tharparkar district on Sunday and indulged in "sacrilegious" acts.

Following this, there was a two-day shutdown in Mithi town to protest the desecration of the ashram.

The Saint Nenuram Ashram is one of the most revered temples of the Hindu community in Pakistan.

Hundreds of people, including Muslims, are provided free food from its langar every day.

Fifty-five per cent of Tharparkar district’s population of 600,000 is Hindus and Muslims and Hindus had coexisted in harmony for years with no incident that had hurt religious sentiments, the PHC leaders said.

Photo Bajeer was caught by people and handed over to police. However, police made no effort to obtain his remand or trace the people behind the incident.

Instead, police allowed the court to remand him to judicial custody, the PHC leaders said. Expressing apprehension that there was a conspiracy behind the incident, they alleged a local Pakistan People's Party leader was trying to protect Photo Bajeer by using his influence with the police. (The PHC appealed to the Governor and Chief Ministerof Sindh to take notice of the incident and to expose those behind a "heinous conspiracy aimed at vitiating the peaceful atmosphere of Tharparkar".

The leaders also referred to the killing of businessman Ramesh Kumar and the abduction of his son Vijay in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, on Monday.

Condemning the incident, the PHC appealed to Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi and Chief Minister Muhammad Aslam Raisani to order the arrest of the killers and recovery of Vijay.

The PHC urged them to ensure the protection of the Hindu community in Balochsitan. Meanwhile, ministers belonging to minority communities in Balochistan staged a walkout from the provincial assembly yesterday to protest the killing and kidnapping of Hindu businessmen in Quetta and other parts of the province.

Minister Jay Prakash Narain drew the assembly’s attention to Monday's incident in which a Hindu businessman was killed and his son was kidnapped in Quetta.

Such incidents had become the order the day and are causing a sense of insecurity among Hindus and other minority communities, he said.

Ministers Basant Lal Gulshan and Jaffar George condemned such incidents and stressed the need for immediate steps to protect the life and property of minorities.

They later walked out of the House to register their protest. On the request of the Speaker, other ministers brought the protesting ministers back to the House.

The assembly was informed that all possible steps are being taken to arrest the killers of the Hindu businessman and the recovery of his son.

No Lord Krishna temple demolished: Pakistan Hindu Council

Source http://www.hindustantimes.com
Monday,April05,2010

Swami Narayan Mandir,Pakistan

Karachi : A Hindu organisation in Pakistan today said there were land disputes in some of the temples here, but denied that any shrine of Lord Krishna had been demolished in the county's financial hub.

"There is a problem of land occupation with some temples particularly with the Swami Narayan temple located around M.A. Jinnah road but otherwise there has been no case of temple demolition," said Dr Ramesh Kumar, the Patron of Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC).

Kumar and General-Secretary of PHC Hari Motwani denied any knowledge of a temple being demolished in the city.

"If something like this happened we would know about it and we would not keep quiet about it," Kumar told PTI.

He said a portion of the land on which Swami Narayan temple was built, dating back to 150 years, was occupied by transporters who used the land to park their vehicles and as a garage.

"We are constantly in touch with the relevant authorities and also with the Evacuee Board on this issue," he said.

An Indian news channel reported today that a Lord Krishna temple had been demolished in Karachi and its 20 acres land occupied by a nationalist party of Sindh.

However, the Chairman of the Evacuee board, Ahmed Hashmi, denied it.

"There is a Krishna Mandir in frère town and it is used by Hindus for their religious rites. There is a small problem over a boundary wall and nothing more," he said.

Motwani said the problems of land occupation often took place as all temples were looked after by the Hindu council while the evacuee board also claimed control over them.

He said the Hindu Council had asked the authorities in Defence Ministry to allot a plot to the council so that they could build a Gurdwara and Mandir there.

Peace with equality are HOPEs OF PAKISTAN HINDU COUNCIL

Source http://www.thenews.com.pk
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

By Dr Ramesh Kumar Wankwani
Every war is followed by hopes of peace. Aman ki Asha is an effort for peace that provides such a hope, that will help ease tensions and prevent a third war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. They have fought wars in the past, but this is not an option anymore. The current efforts to maintain harmony between them gives rise to hope that peace will eventually prevail.

The people of Pakistan and India truly appreciate the efforts initiated by the Jang Group of Pakistan and Times of India. We would like to convey this message to the rulers of both countries.

Pakistan Hindu Council keenly desires peace. This subcontinent is a land of sufis, saints and holy men. If efforts are made to promote peace, India�s concept of limited war can be restricted, which is what peace-loving people desire everywhere. The whole purpose is to prevent war and end conflict.

Someone has finally come forward and shown an interest in maintaining peace at a very public platform. We should not let slip this golden opportunity. We should understand that this is a message of peace, which was spread by sufi saints like Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Baghat Kunkwar Ram, Baba Bullay Shah, Sufi Baba Ajmer Sharif and others. Now concrete steps need to be taken to attain the goal of peace at the earliest.

Media is known as the fourth pillar of the state. It can play a key role in generating awareness regarding hope for peace. The media in India and Pakistan have started efforts to promote peace. If these efforts fail, the future of people in both countries will be dark.

It is the need of the hour to understand the desire of people for peace and judge it accordingly. Before the partition of Pakistan and India, Hindus and Muslims lived together and brotherhood prevailed. Despite having separate identities and religions, they have much in common. Both nations lived peacefully together and expelled the British from the sub-continent through collective efforts.

Despite the division of the sub-continent, many things can make this region a region of peace. Pakistan and India are separate countries, but the people trust each other and love peace and brotherhood, and also respect each other�s geographical boundaries. Besides this, there are a large number of people from both sides who respect and follow the teachings of our sufis and saints.

India has a larger population, but its government should know that if the Times of India continues its efforts, peace is bound to prevail.

India has for long been committing a mistake in not maintaining peace in the region. As the bigger country, India will have to face bigger losses in case of war as Pakistan too is a nuclear power. India�s claim that it will fight a small scale or limited war is foolishness as wars only lead to destruction and devastation.

To give a realistic shape to the hope for peace, the first step is to create equality. If equality is established, then there will be no hurdle in the way of maintaining peace.

Despite the passage of 62 years, it seems that many Indians and Pakistanis have not accepted each other�s existence.

The main conflict between Pakistan and India is the Kashmir issue, which should be resolved according to the wishes of the Kashmiri. Besides this, reduction in the arms race, and exchanges in the fields of tourism, culture, trade, sports, education, print and electronic media will help reduce tensions between the two countries. Such exchanges will also provide a suitable environment in maintaining peace. With frequent visits and meetings of intellectuals and authors of India Pakistan these wishes and hopes can materialise into reality.

The Pakistan Hindu Council desires that dialogue on vital issues should begin on the basis of equality. This will not only help in changing the scenario, but it will also have positive effects on this subcontinent.

Once again, heartiest congratulations to the Jang Group of Pakistan and Times of India for initiating efforts for peace in the region.

The writer is Patron, Pakistan Hindu council