Pakistan has around 365 Hindu temples; among them, 287 are encroached upon by land mafias, and just 65 of them are currently being managed by the Hindu community. A recent report by a committee appointed by Pakistan Supreme Court reveals long systematic neglect of religious sites belonging to minority communities by the hand of the state.  

Dr. Shoaib Suddle submitted the seventh report to the apex court in Pakistan, Dawn reported. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) - the body responsible for maintaining religious sites of minority communities - has failed miserably to protect most of the ancient and holy sites of the minority community, the report alleged. 

On 5 January last month, the apex court asked the ETPB to file a status report on all the sites that come under its purview. It failed to provide information in the prescribed form as demanded by the Supreme Court-appointed committee. 

Furthermore, the report said the ETPB managed just 31 places of worship, 13 among them are Hindu temples, of the total 470 that come under its purview.

To highlight the apathy of the ETPB, the report cited the example of a Hindu samadhi (cremation site) in Teri of KP province. it said after the partition when most Hindus migrated to India, local Muslims of Karak district illegally occupied the samadhi (cremation site). However, the ETPB failed to act. 

It was only after an order by the Supreme Court in 2015, the ETPB managed to get possession of the site to Hindus. Despite that, the report noted, the ETPB never actually measured the actual area of the place. 

“It is indeed strange that even in this age of technology, the ETPB has yet to get the evacuee properties geo-tagged,” Dawn quoted the report as saying. 

“The ETPB was only interested in the occupation of valuable properties of migrated minorities, even after the passage of more than 73 years and charitable, worship and other joint properties of minority communities in hundreds of towns have been taken over by the ETPB,” the report said. 

It also suggested collaborative efforts for the renovation of Teri Mandir (Karak), Katas Raj Temples (Chakwal), Prahlad Mandir (Multan), and Hinglaj Mandir (Lasbela).

Furthermore, the report recommended amending the ETPB act to create working groups for the reconstruction of temples and gurudwaras. 

Meanwhile, twelve Pakistani police officers were dismissed from service and 61 punished for last year's Hindu temple demolition in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province by local fundamentalist groups, the KP government said in a response to Pakistan Supreme Court. 

Last year, Pakistan Supreme Court took suo-mote cognizance of the Karak Hindu temple demolition case and asked the provincial government to file a report. Around 119 people, including Maulvi Muhammad Sharif, the main cleric who instigated and led the mob, were arrested by the provincial government, the government informed the apex court. 

The report also stated the provincial government has allotted around $211,000 million for the temple reconstruction. On the rumors of expansion of the existing compound, it clarified the government has no such plan, arguing it could lead to local resentment, thus creating further tension in the region. 

During the course of the investigation, police officers also recovered all the stolen items from the temple compound. Around 100 police officers are currently deployed to protect the site, the report said. 

After the video of hundreds of frenzy mob demolishing the temple went viral on the internet last year, Pakistan faced international criticism. After the worldwide condemnation, authorities in Pakistan swang into action, promising tough actions against the culprits, and the reconstruction of the temple.