The government is planning to reclaim 400 historic temples and hand them over to the Hindu community.
Lahore (Pakistan Point News – 14th April, 2019) Following the opening of Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims, Prime Minister has decided to reopen Hindu temples across the country.
These temples will be restored in phases, fulfilling the longstanding demand of the minority Hindus that their places of worship be restored to them.
The government is planning to reclaim 400 historic temples and hand them over to the Hindu community.
The process will begin with two historic shrines in Sialkot and Peshawar. Sialkot has a functioning Jagannath Temple and now the 1,000-year-old Shivalaya Teja Singh is set to be restored.
Hindus had stopped visiting the shivalaya (shawala) after a mob attack during Babri mosque demolition protests in 1992. In Peshawar, the Pakistani courts had ordered reopening of the Gorakhnath Temple and it's been declared a heritage site.
From now on, two to three such historic and heritage temple complexes will be restored by the Pakistani government every year.
Pakistan recently agreed to open the Kartarpur Sahib corridor to facilitate pilgrimage to Guru Nanak's birthplace from Punjab on the Indian side.
The Pakistan government has also approved a proposal to establish a corridor that will allow Hindu pilgrims to visit Sharda Peeth, an ancient Saraswati temple in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
