Cremation sites for Hindus

With fewer and fewer cremation sites, problem of conducting funeral rites remains a big one for the Hindu community

It appears that even in death, there is little space for non-Muslims in Pakistan. With fewer and fewer cremation sites, the problem of conducting funeral rites remains a big one for the Hindu community. The issue came to the fore recently during a meeting of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, where it was brought to its attention that there is a lack of temples and cremation grounds for Hindus in the federal capital. The only maintained temple Islamabad has is in the village of Saidpur, which caters to foreigners and people from high-income backgrounds. It is ironic that while the authorities in Islamabad want to maintain a façade of tolerance and coexistence in front of foreign dignitaries residing in the city, the temple is not open for worship to the local community. At religious festivals, Hindus in Islamabad have no place to congregate and celebrate, just as they have no place to bid their final farewells to their loved ones.

The Hindu community has been rapidly declining in Pakistan. Hindus from other parts of the country, including from Islamabad, often have to take the bodies of their dead relatives to Sindh for cremation rites. But this too is only possible for those who can afford to do so and when the weather is not too hot. Hindus in Islamabad are left with two options — travel for hundreds of kilometres to cremate the dead or bury their family members. Hindus have lived in this land for a long time. It is not as if the need for cremation sites or temples is a new one. Yet, not only is there no effort to build new temples, the state has actively allowed centuries-old places of worship to deteriorate. As a society, we are quick to give our opinions on the rights of Muslims around the world, but are oblivious to the absence of fundamental rights for Pakistan’s minority groups. The majority needs to ask itself: how would it react if it was not possible for it to carry out the last rites of their loved ones?

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2016.

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