Hindu MNA says KP govt failed to implement SC orders to protect minorities
Patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council and MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani on Monday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had failed to implement the Supreme Court (SC)’s orders for the protection of minorities living in the province.
Dr Ramesh said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s recent visit to Sindh’s controversial political figure, Mian Mithu, for inviting him to join PTI showed his non-seriousness regarding the minorities’ concerns.
“Mian Mithu is responsible for a large number of forced conversions of innocent non-Muslims and minor girls in Sindh,” Dr Ramesh Vankwani said, while talking to media outside the SC after appearing in court no. 1 headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja for a hearing on the issue of re-construction of a Hindu temple.
“Today, the honorable Supreme Court has directed the home secretary KP and ETPB to implement the previous decisions of the SC to vacate the possession and hire professional architects to build the temple attached with the Samadhi within 45 days, and to submit a comprehensive report,” Dr. Ramesh said, adding that the SC had asked to hire Kamil Khan and Taimour who had experience of building temples in Lahore.
Briefing the media about the Krishan Dawara Temple (actual area: 1204 sq. ft) and Samadhi of Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj (400 sq. ft), the prominent Hindu lawmaker said that out of the cumulative area of 1604 Square feet, only 184 sq. ft or 11.5 per cent had been handed over.
Dr Ramesh also shared documents with the media which he had submitted to the honorable court which showed that 250 sq. ft was illegally occupied by Shaista Mir and 1070 sq. ft. was illegally occupied by Mufti Iftikhar Uddin. According to Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) record, the settlement department allotted the Hindu property to Mufti Iftikhar illegally, which was later cancelled by the ETPB chairman, followed by a reference filed by Peshawar Deputy Administrator. “All the appeals filed by the occupant repeatedly in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2015 were rejected every time,” Dr. Ramesh told.
Dr Ramesh said he had told the Supreme Court that the implementation of the SC directions for the protection of minorities’ rights was comparatively slow in Sindh, Balochistan and KP.
