Historic Hindu temple demolished in Khyber district of Pakistan. Loktej World News

Peshawar, 12 April (HS). A historic Hindu temple has been demolished in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province located on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. After the demolition of the temple, construction of a commercial complex has started there. The temple was closed since 1947 after its original inhabitants migrated to India.

There was a ‘Khyber Temple’ in Landi Kotal Bazaar, the border town of Khyber district, but it was gradually disappearing over the years. Construction at this location started about 10-15 days ago. Officials from various administrative departments either denied having knowledge of the existence of the Hindu temple or claimed that the construction was taking place as per the rules.

Ibrahim Shinwari, a prominent tribal journalist and resident of Landi Kotal, claimed that there was a historical temple in the main Landi Kotal market. He said, “The temple was located in the center of Landi Kotal market, which was closed in 1947 after the local Hindu families migrated to India. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India in 1992, it was partially damaged by some clerics and madrassas.

Recalling his childhood, Ibrahim said that he heard many stories about this temple from his ancestors. He said, there is no doubt that there was a religious place named ‘Khyber Temple’ in Landi Kotal.

Haroon Sarbadial of the Pakistan Hindu Temple Management Committee stressed that it is the responsibility of the district administration and concerned government departments to ensure the protection and rehabilitation of historical buildings of religious importance to non-Muslims.

The archeology and museum departments, police, culture department and the local government are bound by the 2016 antiquities law to protect such sites, including places of worship, he said.

Meanwhile, Landi Kotal Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Irshad said that there is no mention of the temple in the official land records of Khyber Tribal District. He expressed ignorance about the demolition of the temple. He said, the entire land in Landi Kotal market belonged to the state. Patwari of Landi Kotal, Jamal Afridi, claimed that he was not aware of the construction activity at the temple site.