September 2, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
The Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has refuted claims that says a century old Hindu temple was purposely demolished to give space to a neighbouring madrassah’s extension. The Hindu temple is located in the Siraj Village, District Narowal, which the minister says had actually collapsed due to torrential rainfall on August 21, 2026.
“The claim of the demolition of the 100-year-old Hindu temple is baseless,” said the Minister. “The land of this temple was never leased to anyone. Meanwhile, steps have been initiated for the immediate restoration and repair of the dilapidated temple building. It is very important to understand the difference between allegations, claims and reality in media reports. It is irresponsible to run news on sensitive issues like religious places of worship without verification.”
He said that fake narratives of persecution damages interfaith harmony and Pakistan’s global reputation.
“Journalists should ensure verification before publishing news on sensitive religious issues,” said Arora. “The Punjab government under Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s leadership is a protector of minority rights and places of worship. Minority places of worship across Punjab are being given attention under the CM’s master plan. Currently work is underway to restore 50 gurdwaras, 15 temples and more than 100 churches across the province. For the Punjab government, the protection and sanctity of holy places of minorities is a top priority.”
The Public Relations officer (PRO) of the Evacuee Board Trust, Mohiuddin also reiterated this stance.
Minority community claims
Minority rights activists however maintain that the temple has faced destruction. Local community leader on condition of anonymity told Voicepk that there were two groups currently fighting over the temple land – one of them was apolitical but the other had links with the PML-N.
“Has the Evacuee Board mixed things up? Have they promised them both documents? Something is not right but this is not a rain induced damage for sure,” he said.
On August 21, the temple was found in ruins. Local residents and minority rights activists are disputing the official explanation, pointing to alleged “hammer marks” on bricks, the removal of building material and the continued presence of the madrassah near the property.
The controversy has also raised questions over the enforcement of an earlier ETPB order that allegedly cancelled the lease of the adjoining seminary and directed the eviction of occupants from the property.
According to Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP) chairman Aslam Parvez Sahotra, the ETPB deputy administrator in Sialkot issued an order on Jan 29, 2026, cancelling the seminary’s lease and directing that the premises be vacated and sealed. He says the order was never implemented. The claim is significant because the temple’s destruction came months after the alleged eviction order, raising questions over whether authorities had taken effective steps to protect the site and resolve the dispute over its occupation.
Sahotra has also claimed that an April 11 report by the Narowal deputy superintendent of police had raised concerns about security around the temple and the possibility of damage to the site.
The alleged existence and contents of both documents could not immediately be independently verified, but their status is central to determining whether authorities had prior knowledge of a threat to the temple.
Meanwhile, activist and chairman of IMRF (Implementation of Minority Rights Forum) Samuel Pyara told Voicepk that the Hindu community had informed him that the temple bricks and valuable items, including the dome, had been removed and sold, while the site had been illegally occupied by a group of Muslims with the involvement from the ETPB. Samuel Pyara, head of the Implementation Minority Rights Forum, visited the site on Aug. 24 and disputed the claim that the structure simply collapsed because of rain.
According to Pyara, locals told him that some bricks at the site bore what appeared to be hammer marks, while sections of the structure had fallen towards the street. He was also pointed out the madrassah flag and banner displayed on the temple’s boundary wall, which local man Ilyas said was evidence of encroachment.
Pyara also said the matter was brought to the attention of Shoaib Suddle’s ‘One Man’ Commission, under the Supreme Court of Pakistan, that is meant to implement the directives of the 2014 Tasaduq Husain Jilani judgement. Suddle had assured them that the matter would be examined and appropriate action taken, says Pyara. The applicant was Muhammad Ilyas, the local who pointed out the hammer marks and flag and banner.
Text of the application to Suddle
It is submitted that in Mauza Siraj, Tehsil and District Narowal, there is evacuee trust property land measuring 2 Kanals 1 Marla (Khasra No. 587), which housed a government quarter, a shop, and a Hindu place of worship (temple). Approximately 7 to 8 people were illegal occupants of this site. Some villagers colluded to sell the valuable metallic crown of the temple and the solid bricks of the quarter for a large sum of money. Being a responsible Pakistani citizen, the applicant submitted an application regarding the incident on December 15, 2025, to the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Lahore. An inquiry was conducted by the Deputy Administrator Salkot on January 14, 2026, during which the applicant’s stance was validated. Consequently, the Deputy Administrator Sialkot issued a detailed judgment on January 29, 2026.
Against this judgment, Peer Muhammad Arshad Qadri, a resident of a distant village, filed an appeal before Arman Jalal, Administrator Gujranwala. The applicant submitted a response explaining all legal and moral facts, and the Deputy Administrator Sialkot also filed a response and prayer. A detailed argument took place on May 05, 2026, to maintain peace and prevent hurting any religious sentiments. However, the said Administrator Gujranwala, in collusion with Peer Muhammad Arshad Qadri and misusing his official authority, ignored the applicant’s stance and the report of the Deputy Administrator and field staff. On July 15, 2026, he designated Peer Muhammad Arshad Qadri as administrator and granted tenancy/lease rights over the Hindu temple place of worship in the name of Madrasa Owaisya Ta’leem-ul-Quran.
Against the decision of Administrator Gujranwala, the applicant filed Appeal No. 9920 on July 30, 2026, before the Chairman ETPB Lahore. To ensure the continuation of the tenancy, certain miscreant elements in the village, backed by Peer Muhammad Arshad Qadri and the illegal decision of Administrator Gujranwala, took advantage of weather conditions on August 21, 2026, and demolished the Hindu temple structure, turning it into debris to erase its trace so that the madrasa could be established.
Instead, Administrator Gujranwala should have acted on the applicant’s petition in a timely manner to prosecute and penalize those responsible for demolishing the government quarter and selling its bricks and the temple’s crown, deterring any unpleasant incident or injury to religious sentiments. However, the Administrator’s illegal decision has hurt minority religious sentiments, creating a threat to public peace. Furthermore, for raising his voice, the applicant is receiving severe threats, endangering his life.
In light of the above circumstances, it is prayed that action be taken per the decision of the Deputy Administrator Sialkot to evict the illegal occupants from the location, initiate legal proceedings against the Administrator and culprits, recover the valuable crown and bricks, and reconstruct the historical temple building to protect religious sentiments and maintain public peace. Further relief is requested to ensure the protection of the applicant’s life and property. Dated: 25-08-2026
Hindu community faces issues
The Hindu community has complained in many places across the country of facing a variety of issues related to their rituals and practices. Among them are their funeral rites. Ratan Lal Arya’s, former member of Pak Dharma Astan Committee, head of District Council Narowal says that when his elder brother Bansi Lal Arya died, his last rites were performed but with issues.
“In my area Sangal Sudkan, a crematorium of one kanal area, which the locals call ‘Marhian’, was allotted to the Hindu community in 1976,” he said. “However there is no way to reach it except a trail. I have submitted applications to the Revenue Department, Waqf Properties Board, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Minority Affairs and Ministry of Human Rights to provide a way to reach the crematorium and to get the boundary wall and verandah of the crematorium constructed, but no response has been received.”
Lal said that that the Hindu community immerses the ashes of their loved ones in the Head Marala after the religious prayer ceremony at the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, while some people store these ashes so that when they get a visa, they can go to India and immerse them in the Ganges river.
He said that the district has around 1,600 Hindus but no functioning Hindu temple. He claimed that as many as 45 temples across the district are currently being used as livestock sheds or have been converted into residential or commercial premises.
(Likewise in Lahore’s Valmiki Mandir, the caretaker on condition of anonimity said that insecurity by Hindus had increased ever since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India in 1992.)
For Narowal’s Hindu community, however, the consequences are clear. A historic place of worship has disappeared, while the district’s remaining Hindu religious heritage remains vulnerable to neglect, occupation and commercial pressure.
“Protecting heritage is protecting our identity as a nation,” added Pyara.