Two Hindus were injured on Friday when men opened fire on them in a fight over the construction of a shop on the land of Aakharo Temple.
Rano, 23, and Mool Chan, 30, were taken to Hyderabad in serious condition.
The temple is located in the middle of the city and is believed a hundred years old. It is spread over three acres and has 50 shops around its boundary wall. One shop tenant is Zulfiqar Punjabi and his brother Hafeez Punjabi. According to a Hindu notable, Seth Jhaman, the Punjabis started construction without permission and wanted to expand. “They started construction work last week but when we complained the police stopped them,” he said.
Notables from both sides mediated and contacted MNA Nawab Yousaf Talpur to help. But then the Punjabis went back to the construction and when the Hindus went to talk to them, they opened fire.
The entire city shut down in protest and in fear of riots. The police said they had arrested a few men from the Punjabis’ side and Umerkot SP Munir Khuhro said a picket was set up by the temple.
Former residents, Talpur, MNA Mahesh Malani and Kishan Chand Parwani have contacted the Hindus and assured help. Jhaman said that some armed men were still inside the temple’s property.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2012.
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C'mon! This is just an encroachment issue, Punjab has seen all sorts of neglected areas from railway land to minoritie centres vandalized. Islamabad should protect all minorities, local leaders can't afford to loose majority vote. With the explosion of population & economy all minorities should be vigilant & on-guard in sprawling areas with guarded, lighted & painted boundaries of bricks, wires, landscaping, or atleast maintained hedges.
@Colonel:
"It happened in India, over Babri Masjid Issue, but Muslims didnt killed except CM Moodi and his followers"
To be factual, Muslims did burn alive 70 innocent men, women and children in the train at Godhra which precipitated the Gujarat pogrom which is very condemnable and can't be justified. 750 Muslims and 250 Hindus were butchered in the riots.
Also, Muslims have killed over 5000 people since the Babri Masjid incident in various terror attacks in India. I am not trying to justify the Babri demolition, but we need to recognize the history behind it. Babri was built by Islamic invaders after destroying an ancient Hindu temple. Also, thousands of temples were destroyed by the Muslim invaders and mosques built over them. Even the holiest Banares Kashi temple was destroyed by Mughals and a mosque built on the original site. That mosque stands even today right next to the rebuilt Kashi temple.
What do you think would have happened if Hindus had invaded and occupied Saudi Arabia and destroyed the holy Islamic sites and built temples over them?
Again, I am not advocating that two wrongs make it right, but we need to be honest in understanding historical facts and truth before forming an opinion.
Some people are twice removed from reality especially once they hide behind hollow uniforms !
@raw is war: It happened in India, over Babri Masjid Issue, but Muslims didnt killed except CM Moodi and his followers
@colonel, people like you have tainted vision and one day Pakistan will be bycotted by the civilised world
@Colenel, because minorities have no protection and whole thing may take a religious color!!
@ colonel, you sound naive. The issue here is the descecration of a Hindu temple. If any such thing happens in India, there will be jihads world over. The people who are occupying the land know that Hindus are soft target. The same people would never dare occupy a Masjid property.
The world is watching how you treat your minorities.
So in Pakistan only hindus get Injured over property disputes??? people are killed here over such issues regardless of their religion, why highlighting with the name "minorities"??