Hindu leaders in Pakistan demand renovation of temples

Karachi: Pakistani Hindu community has asked the government to repair their places of worship in Punjab province, a media report said on Sunday.

The community leaders demanded their worship places, lying in a dilapidated condition, be widened and renovated so that they could perform their religious rituals comfortably, the Dawn reported.

They also demanded their children be provided facilities for education, admission to higher educational institutions according to the Hindu quota system on reserved seats and construction of boundary walls around Hindu graveyards.

The grievances were raised at a function by representatives of the Hindu community at the Bahawalpur Circuit House on Saturday, it said. The event was to distribute cheques under the Holi package on behalf of the Chief Minister among deserving Hindus of Bahawalpur.

It was addressed, among others, by minority Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Kanji Ram and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Fauzia Ayub Qureshi. Hindus constitute around 1.6 per cent of the total population of Pakistan.