CII says no to construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple

The Council of Islamic Ideology has opposed the government providing funds for the construction of Islamabad’s only temple. It has instead suggested that the government reopen the temple and dharamshala in Saidpur.

At a press conference after a CII meeting on Wednesday, chairman Qibla Ayaz said Hindus also have permission to set up a cremation site where they can perform the last rites according to their religious teachings.

The construction of the Shri Krishna Mandir in Islamabad became a topic of controversy after the Capital Development Authority stopped construction of its boundary wall on July 5 and a teenager destroyed the wall. A plot had been allotted to the temple in Sector H/9 and it would have been the first place of worship for Hindus in the city.

The issue, the CDA said, was that a building plan had not been submitted to it. However, Islamabad’s Hindu Panchayat had said they had submitted the application but got no response from the authority.

PTI MNA Lal Chand Malhi, on the other hand, said the building plan for the temple had already been submitted to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which forwarded it to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The plan along with the request for a grant of Rs100 million has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan,” Malhi said, pointing out that the PM had initially approved the grant. After opposition from clerics, however, it was agreed that a decision would be taken after advice from the CII.

The religious affairs ministry said during a later a press conference that it only “releases funds for the renovation and rehabilitation of minority’s worship places”, not for construction.

 The matter was taken to the Islamabad High Court, which disposed of the petitions saying that the CII would give its advice, after which the CDA would decide.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the Shri Krishna temple was performed on June 23. The temple spread over four kanals is meant to include a crematorium, visitor accommodation, a community hall and parking space.

The plan was reportedly approved in 2017 by the PML-N government but construction kept being delayed.

The construction was challenged by many religious hardliners. Since the news of its construction was shared, the site has been attacked and vandalised four times.

from SAMAA https://ift.tt/37RR5er