7 police officials, SHO suspended over Hindu temple attack in Karak

Eight police personnel have been suspended for failing to stop the attack last week on a Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) Karak district.

According to Samaa, DIG Kohat Tayyab Hafeez Cheema suspended the police personnel including DSP Sher Afzal and SHO Rehmat Wazir for negligence. Located in Karak’s Teri union council, the temple was vandalized and later burnt when hundreds of residents led by Islamic clerics surrounded the temple for hours.

Maulana Muhammad Sharif, who is an active member of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F led the temple attack. An FIR was also registered against him which stated that he during a protest informed the gathering about the shrine and said that they would neither allow a Hindu shrine on the soil of Teri nor the visits by Hindus.

“Whoever dies while demolishing the shrine would be a martyr,” the FIR quoted the cleric telling the crowd.

Following the attack, police arrested more than 30 people including district leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). While more than 300 persons have also been nominated in the FIR.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed also took suo-motu notice of the incident. The case will be heard in the apex court on January 5. Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has ordered the immediate reconstruction of the temple. The CM said his government will ensure the construction work is started quickly. He promised that his government will protect the places of worship of minorities.