Pak: Nearly 150-Year-Old Temple Demolished In Karachi, Local Hindu Community Decries No Prior Notice For Drive

The provincial capital of Pakistan’s Sindh, Karachi is home to many ancient temples of Hindus who form the biggest minority community in the country. 

A nearly 150-year-old Hindu temple has been demolished in Pakistan’s Karachi after being declared an old and dangerous structure. The Mari Mata temple in Karachi’s Soldier Bazar was razed to the ground by bulldozers in the presence of a heavy contingent of police force late on Friday night. The demolition, which has left the Hindu community in shock, was carried out “very early in the morning”, said Ram Nath Mishra Maharaj, who looks after old Hindu temples in the area, as per a PTI report. 

Mishra, who told the news agency that they were not informed about the demolition, said that the bulldozers left the outer walls and the temple’s main gate intact, but they razed down the entire inside structure.

Also the caretaker of the nearby Shri Punch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir, Mishra said that the temple was built some 150 years ago and told stories that there was treasure buried beneath its courtyard.

The temple covered some 400 to 500 square yards in the area and had been a target of the land grabbers and developers for years now, he added. 

However, a senior police official of the local police station said that the temple was demolished as it had been declared a dangerous structure by the authorities. 

As per the police official, the Madrasi Hindu community which was running the temple had agreed that the structure was very old and dangerous. The temple management reluctantly but temporarily moved most of the deities to a small room until they could carry out some renovation work there, he added.

A Hindu community leader of the area, Ramesh, said the temple management was under pressure to vacate the premises for some time now as the land had been sold to a developer on forged documents who wanted to build a commercial building on the plot, the report stated. 

Following the demolition, the Hindu community has appealed to the Pakistan-Hindu Council, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, and the Inspector General of Sindh police to take notice and look into the matter on an urgent basis.

The provincial capital of Pakistan’s Sindh, Karachi is home to many ancient temples of Hindus who form the biggest minority community in the country. 

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions, and language with Muslim residents.