External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had noted with “deep concern” accounts of the destruction of the historic temple in Siraj village in Narowal district. He described the reported act as vandalism against a century-old minority place of worship and criticised what he called the apparent apathy of the authorities responsible for protecting it.
“The apparent apathy of authorities and failure to protect this century-old temple is alarming,” Jaiswal said, adding that the episode underscored the vulnerability of minority communities and threats to their religious freedoms and places of worship in Pakistan.
India called on Pakistan’s government to conduct a “prompt and transparent investigation” and ensure that anyone found responsible was held fully accountable. Jaiswal also urged Islamabad to take immediate remedial measures to restore the temple and protect minority citizens and their cultural heritage.
The statement followed a dispute over what happened at the temple, which stood in Siraj village, about 130 kilometres from Lahore. The structure, estimated by officials to have been between 100 and 125 years old, was destroyed on August 21.
Minority representatives, local residents and community figures have alleged that people deliberately demolished the temple to facilitate the expansion or use of adjoining land by a madrassa. Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board, which administers properties left by people who migrated after Partition, has disputed that account and said the old structure collapsed after torrential rain.
Rana Iftikhar, a senior official of the board, acknowledged that the temple was more than a century old but said its land had not been leased to anyone. He said land adjoining the temple had been leased for a seminary and that senior officials would decide the question of restoring the religious structure.
The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party, a minority-rights organisation, has sought action from the Punjab provincial government over the destruction. Its chairman, Aslam Parvez Sahotra, said he and local residents met Punjab’s additional home secretary on August 28 and submitted a written application seeking action against those allegedly involved and against officials accused of failing to safeguard the site.
Sahotra alleged that bricks, metal fittings from the temple’s shikhar and other material were removed after the structure came down. He also said the land adjoining the temple had earlier been leased for a madrassa but that the lease was subsequently cancelled after rent remained unpaid and the premises were not used for the stated purpose.
He cited an order issued by the Evacuee Trust Property Board’s deputy administrator in Sialkot on January 29 that, he said, cancelled the seminary’s lease rights and directed the eviction of illegal occupants and the sealing of the property. Sahotra alleged that the order was not implemented.
A separate police document dated April 11 indicated that authorities were aware of security concerns surrounding the temple and the possibility that it could be damaged, according to details cited by minority representatives. Those claims have added to demands for an inquiry into whether officials took adequate preventive action.
Hindu community leader Rattan Lal, a member of the Narowal District Peace Committee and the Pak Dharam Astan Hindu Committee, has also demanded restoration of the temple and action against anyone found responsible for its destruction. He accused the district administration and the trust board of failing to adequately protect the site or remove alleged occupants.
The competing accounts remain unresolved. While minority groups maintain that the temple was deliberately brought down, the Evacuee Trust Property Board continues to attribute its collapse to heavy rainfall. The board has said the temple itself was not leased for seminary use, distinguishing it from the adjoining property at the centre of the dispute.
