Pak government woos minorities by renovating shrines

AMRITSAR: With an eye on 2018 general elections, the PML(N)-led Pakistan government seems to have begun wooing minority Hindu and Sikh communities by renovating their religious places and arranging the visits of foreign ambassadors to get international publicity.
Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Siddiq-ul-Farooq informed TOI on Friday that ambassadors of 12 countries, including India, visited Katasraj cluster of temples and Nankana Sahib.
“We have carried out immense renovation and development works in both the places and everyone hailed our efforts,” he said. Farooq informed that ETPB had also made elaborate arrangements for the celebration of Mahashivratri festival at Katasraj cluster of temples.
“In the recent past, we had installed gold-plated shikhar kalash (peak urn) on the domes of temples and rejuvenated the sacred pond,” he said.
In 2016, a Hindu jatha from India had cancelled its scheduled visit to Katasraj owing to security reasons.
ETPB deputy secretary (Hindu affairs) Faraz Abbas told that Hindu jatha was expected to visit Katasraj from February 22 to 28 to celebrate Mahashivratri festival. He said ETPB had made boarding arrangements for the visiting Hindu devotees from India and other parts of world.
However, patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said, “Renovation of holy water pond or construction of a park in one of the holiest religious place of Hindu’s doesn’t fulfil religious aspirations of Hindu community.”
He said he had visited the Katasraj clusters of temples and was disappointed. “Neither there is any idol of Hindu deities in the temples nor any priest to perform daily religious rituals. ETPB has just given cosmetic touch to the temples whereas it should have ensure implementation of Hindu religious code,” he said, adding that despite having 14 employees at Katasraj, ETPB has made only half-hearted attempts to woo voters.
Meanwhile, Faraz informed that ETPB had appointed one priest to perform daily rituals in the temples.