Over 100-Year-Old Hindu Temple Demolished in Pakistan; Minority Groups Seek Probe and Restoration
A more than century-old Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been demolished, triggering demands from minority representatives for an investigation and restoration of the historic religious site.
The temple was located in Siraj village in Narowal district, around 130 km from Lahore, and occupied roughly 1,000 square metres of land. According to officials, the structure was estimated to be between 100 and 125 years old.
The circumstances surrounding its destruction have become a subject of dispute.
Minority groups allege temple was deliberately demolished
Local residents, minority representatives and the Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP) have alleged that the temple was demolished on August 21 to facilitate the use of its land in connection with an adjoining madrassa.
PMMP chairman Aslam Parvez Sahotra has sought action against those allegedly responsible. He said he submitted an application to the Punjab government seeking an investigation into the demolition as well as the role of officials who allegedly failed to protect the site.
Sahotra also alleged that material from the demolished structure, including bricks and metal fittings from the temple’s shikhar, was subsequently removed.
The allegations have not been independently established.
Dispute over land and madrassa lease
According to Sahotra, land adjoining the temple had earlier been leased by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for a madrassa. He said the lease was subsequently cancelled after alleged non-payment of rent and failure to use the property for its stated purpose.
He further claimed that several people later occupied parts of the property illegally.
Sahotra referred to an ETPB order issued on January 29, 2026, which he said cancelled the seminary’s lease rights and directed the eviction of alleged illegal occupants and sealing of the property.
According to his account, the order was not implemented.
Officials give different explanation
The ETPB has disputed the allegation that the temple land itself was leased to the madrassa.
ETPB senior official Rana Iftikhar told PTI that the temple was around 100 to 125 years old but said the structure collapsed following torrential rains.
He said the adjoining land had been leased for a seminary, while the temple land itself had not been given out on lease.
The ETPB is expected to decide on the future of the site and whether the temple can be restored.
Hindu community seeks restoration
Hindu community leader Rattan Lal has condemned the destruction and called for the temple to be rebuilt.
Lal, who is associated with the Narowal District Peace Committee and the Pak Dharam Astan Hindu Committee, also raised concerns about the protection of Hindu religious sites and their surrounding properties.
He said the local administration and ETPB should have taken stronger measures to protect the temple and remove alleged encroachments.
The dispute has also raised concerns among members of the local Hindu community about visiting the site while the adjoining madrassa remains operational.
Temple’s future remains uncertain
The controversy has placed renewed attention on the protection of minority religious heritage in Pakistan.
Minority representatives have called for an investigation, removal of alleged encroachments and reconstruction of the temple in its original form. They have also urged authorities to strengthen protection for Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras and Christian churches across Punjab.
For now, the central question remains disputed: minority representatives allege that the historic temple was deliberately demolished amid a land dispute, while the ETPB maintains that the old structure collapsed because of heavy rain.
An official investigation could determine how the temple was destroyed and whether any illegal occupation or demolition took place.
