5-member Hindu family found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pakistan

Pakistan’s Hindu community is in shock following the killing of a five-member family in mysterious circumstances in Pakistan on Friday.

The members of the family were found dead with their throats slit with some sharp-edged weapon in their house in Abu Dhabi Colony, Chak No 135-P, 15-kilometre away from Rahim Yar Khan city, reported The News International.

Police have recovered murder weapons including a knife and an axe. Social activist Birbal Das in Rahim Yar Khan told The News International that Ram Chand was a Meghwal Hindu and he was 35-36 years old.

He used to run a tailor shop. He was a peaceful man and lived a happy life, and the incident was shocking for everyone.

According to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living 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. They often complain of harassment by the extremists.

Meanwhile, a report submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on February 5 has revealed that most of the Hindu holy sites across the country were in a state of decay.

The seventh report of the one-man Dr Shoaib Suddle commission submitted to the Apex Court has depicted a dismal picture of most revered Hindu sites in the country.

The Commission was set up by the apex court in 2019 to oversee implementation of its judgement on minority rights.

It regretted that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) ‘failed to maintain most of the ancient and holy sites of the minority Hindu community’.

Dr Shoaib Suddle’s one-man commission has been established by the Supreme Court but it has three supporting members, Dr Ramesh Vankwani, Saqib Jillani and the attorney general for Pakistan, who has nominated the deputy attorney general to participate in fact-finding activities of the commission, the report said.

Some of the major Hindu temples in Pakistan include Shri Hinglaj Mata temple (Balochistan), Shri Ramdev Pir temple (Sindh), Umarkot Shiv Mandir (Sindh), and the Churrio Jabal Durga Mata temple (Sindh).

In December last year, a temple in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district was torched by members of radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (Fazal ur Rehman group).

The attack on the temple drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu community leaders, prompting the Supreme Court to order its reconstruction. (Agency)