The Hindu community in Karak has decided to pay fines imposed on 11 clerics for attacking and damaging a temple in Karak, in a move to pacify the clerics who were apparently irked by the Supreme Court (SC) verdict ordering recovery of the reconstruction charges.
A Hindu leader, while talking to the Tribune, said that the local administration was not helping them in the reconstruction of the temple out of fear of the angry clerics.
He added that the Deputy Commissioner (DC) had remained unmoved when a cleric said that the words ‘Hindu Temple’ will not be inscribed outside the temple.
Earlier, the SC had ordered the recovery of Rs. 30.30 million from the accused for the reconstruction of the desecrated temple. The government is currently in the process of rebuilding the temple, but is facing opposition from the clerics involved in the attack.
A total of 123 people were nominated in the First Information Report (FIR), a majority of whom were recognised through CCTV footage. Among those nominated in the FIR are Jammait-Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) district Amir Maulana Mir Zaqeem and former district nazim Rehmat Salam Khattak.
The local administration is trying to recover fines from the accused. The admin has also made a list of the properties to be confiscated in case the fines are not paid and asked the accused to submit affidavits with the local police station acknowledging that they would pay the fine.
The accused, however, are demanding that the fines should also be paid by the Hindu community.
