Islamabad, June 27: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a 100 million PKR grant for the construction of the first Hindu temple in Islamabad, it was reported on Saturday. The request for the grant was made to Khan by Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri during a meeting on Friday, reports Dawn news.

The meeting was also attended by a delegation including Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi, Pakistan Hindu Council founder Ramesh Vankwani and several other MNAs belonging to religious minorities. Pakistan Government Raises Petrol Prices by Nearly Rs 26 to Rs 100 Per Litre.

The delegation sought the support of the government for the construction of first temple in the capital to which the Prime Minister gave a verbal approval. Haq told Dawn news that the summary in this regard had already been sent to the Prime Minister Secretariat.

"We will pursue the matter... and it is expected that it will be signed next week," the Minister said. The Hindu Panchayat Islamabad will manage the Shri Krishna Mandir.

The Panchayat's president, Mahesh Chaudhry, said a large number of people from various parts of the country, including Balochistan and Sindh, had shifted to Islamabad, mainly due to insecurity in those areas.

"Now when we have families here, there is a need for a crematorium, a place for collective prayers and marriage ceremonies," Chaudhry said, adding that "currently, we hold Holi and Diwali functions in government's community halls or marquee". According to Malhi, the Hindu population in Islamabad had reached to around 3,000.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2020 12:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).