Peshawar (Pakistan): After angry mob in Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa provinces Karak district, attacked and vandalized the shrine of a Hindu saint in Terri area of Karak; Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced the reconstruction of the Hindu temple, along with launching a crackdown against the attackers.
Chief Minister Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) Mahmood Khan has issued instructions to relevant authorities to ensure reconstruction of the Hindu temple, while police authorities have arrested at least 45 people, including three notable clerics, who were nominated.
Among the nominated religious clerics, a local leader of religious political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Rehman Salam Khattak, has also been arrested.
Angry and violent protesters attacked and set ablaze the Samadhi of Shri Paramhansji Maharaj on Wednesday over dispute over its expansion.
As per the police authorities, Rehman Salam Khattak of JUI-F had participated in a meeting before the attack on the shrine.
However, the plan to attack the shrine was decided and ordered by local clerics Maulana Mohammad Sharif and Maulana Faizullah.
Police officials have been searching dozens of houses to arrest the people involved in the attack.
The shrine holds critical importance as in 2015, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the KP government to restore and rebuild the shrine, while hearing a petition by Ramesh Vankwani, member national assembly and patron of Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC).
The court's decision came after it became a dispute and confrontational contention between the Muslim and the Hindu community.