Pakistan Heritage: Accused of neglecting Hindu-Sikh heritage, 98% religious places neglected or destroyed

Neglect of Religious Sites: A leading minority rights organization (Voice of Pakistan Minority) has made a serious allegation against the Government of Pakistan. The organization says that the government is deliberately ignoring the religious heritage of the Hindu and Sikh communities. As per official records, the government has miserably failed to protect and maintain most of the temples and gurudwaras in the country. This situation remains a matter of concern for the minority communities of Pakistan.

Allegation of deliberate neglect of religious heritage

Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), a leading minority rights organization, has seriously accused the Pakistan government of deliberately ignoring the religious heritage of the Hindu and Sikh communities. The organization says that for many years the government has failed to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to protect temples and gurudwaras across the country.

According to VOPM, about 98 percent of the Hindu and Sikh religious places in Pakistan are either closed, illegally occupied or are slowly being destroyed. The organization stressed that this is not just simple negligence, but reflects the mindset and discriminatory attitude of the entire administrative structure.

Government figures tell the reality

According to the latest information, the figures presented in the Minority Committee of the Parliament of Pakistan show the seriousness of the situation. The committee was told that out of 1,285 Hindu temples and 532 Gurudwaras registered on paper, i.e. out of a total of 1,817 religious places, only 37 are currently functioning properly.

The organization said that this situation is even more sad because there appears to be a systematic discrimination behind it. While religious structures are breaking down, school textbooks also contain discriminatory material against minorities. Furthermore, minority students do not receive any benefits equivalent to scholarships or quota benefits that Muslim students receive.

Truth hidden from Kartarpur model

VOPM stressed that Pakistan feels proud to show sites like Kartarpur Corridor to the world, but hundreds of temples and gurudwaras across the country are lying in ruins, which are not being taken care of. The organization believes that a single, well-maintained shrine cannot hide the reality of hundreds of dilapidated buildings where people once worshipped.

At many places, plants and bushes have completely covered the temples or they have been taken over by private people. The organization warned that this loss is not just of minorities, but it is also a loss of Pakistan’s credibility and its rich cultural heritage.

Last voices of a pluralistic past

VOPM says a country is judged by how it treats its smallest and most vulnerable communities. Today, the clear data before Pakistan is that out of 1,817 religious places, only 37 are functioning.

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The organization said that these buildings are not just structures, but they are the last voices of Pakistan’s pluralistic past, which the country had promised to protect. Every closed temple and every broken Gurudwara is a reminder that the state has failed to fulfill the promises of equality, justice and religious freedom given in its Constitution.