Pak NA adopts resolution to protect holy places of minorities

Islamabad: Amid a series of attacks on temples in Pakistan, the National Assembly has adopted an unanimous resolution to safeguard the holy places of religious minorities, including those of Hindus and Sikhs.

The multi-party backed non-binding resolution was moved in the lower house yesterday by Hindu lawmaker Ramesh Kumar Vankwani of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), asking the government to deploy special security personnel at these places, a media report said today. "This House strongly condemns the attack on holy places of minorities, dharmshalas in Larkana, Hanuman temple at Tateh Chok in Hyderabad, Parbraham Ashram Verijhap district Thar and martyrdom of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta and Shree Guru Granth Sahib at Madeji district Shikarpur," the resolution stated. "This House resolves that necessary steps be taken on priority basis by the government to safeguard the holy places of minorities. This House urges the government that all holy places must be registered forthwith and special security personnel are deployed there to prevent any such incidents in the future," the resolution further stated.The move came in the wake of rising intolerance towards minority groups which account for less than 4 per cent of more than 180 million population of Pakistan. Vankwani, who is also the patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, last week had said at least six incidents of religious disturbance occurred within the last two months in Sindh. The last such incident was on May 7 when two religious books of the minorities were burnt.