New Delhi, January 1: India on Friday lodged a protest with Pakistan over the vandalisation of a Hindu temple in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The development came two days after the Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj’s Samadhi along with the Krishna Dwara Mandir in Teri village of the district was vandalised by an unruly mob.

The mob claimed that the temple has been built on encroached land and set it on Fire. According to a report published in Hindustan Times, Pakistan police arrested around two dozen people in raids. At least 1,500 people reportedly were part of the attack. The incident took place on Wednesday. India Lodges Protest With Pakistan Over Assembly Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan; All About Polls in Occupied Indian Territory.

Pakistan’s chief justice Gulzar Ahmed on Thursday took suo motu notice of the attack. The arrests were made after Ahmed’s intervention. The mater will be heard by Pakistan’s Supreme Court on January 5. Notably, minority lawmaker Ramesh Kumar had briefed Justice Ahmed on Thursday. India Protests Against Diamer Bhasha Dam Construction by Pakistan and China in PoK, Says 'Project Will Submerge Large Parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh'.

Noorul Haq Qadri, Pakistan’s minister for religious affairs, termed the attack as “conspiracy against sectarian harmony”. However, representatives of the Hindu community claimed that the temple had not exceeded the area which was agreed upon. In 1997, the temple was first attacked. It was reconstructed after the intervention of Pakistan’s Supreme Court in 2015.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2021 04:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).