India on Friday lodged a formal protest with Pakistan via diplomatic channels against the vandalisation and demolition of a Hindu temple there and conveyed that the neighbouring country should investigate the matter and take strict action against those responsible, sources said.
They said Ministry of External Affairs conveyed its serious concerns to Pakistan High Commission at repeated instances of similar nature of atrocities against the members of the minority community.
" We (India) expect Government of Pakistan to investigate the matter and take strict action against those responsible for this vandalisation and demolition of the temple. Our message reiterated that Government of Pakistan, in discharge of its responsibilities, is expected to look after the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities including protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage," a source said.
The sources said the Ministry also asked for the investigation report to be shared with it.
On December 30, a mob of over a hundred people led by local Muslim clerics destroyed and set on fire a Hindu temple in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A viral video clip on social media showed a violent mob destroying the walls and roof of the temple.
This act against the Hindu minority community has been widely condemned by human rights activists based in Pakistan and other parts of the world.
The mob incited by a local cleric was part of a rally orgsed by Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a Sunni Deobandi political party in Pakistan. In the rally, speakers delivered inflammatory speeches after which the mob stormed the temple, set it ablaze, and razed it to the ground.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor