Boundary wall to be built around H-9 temple
To protect the land allocated for the construction of a temple and cremation site for the Hindu residents of the federal capital, the apex civic authority of the city on Monday accorded permission for the construction of a boundary wall around the site in Sector H-9/2.
"Permission to construct a boundary will around the cremation ground for the Hindu community in Sector H-9/2, Islamabad is hereby accorded in accordance with clause 4.I.I of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Building Control Regulations 2020, ensuring that height of this boundary wall shall not accord 7"-0",” reads the notification from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
"It may either be a solid wall or up to a foot it shall consist of solid masonry and the remaining portion may be of light material such as fence etc,” it said, adding that the height of the enclosure shall not be less than 3" in any case. Lal Chand Malhi, a minority member of the national assembly from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) in a statement on Monday thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) chief Dr Qiba Ayaz and CDA Chairman and ICT Chief Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed for granting permission to build a boundary wall around their religious site, noting that minorities in the country enjoy equal rights as promised by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He lauded CII for clearing the way for the construction of a temple, a crematorium and community hall in Islamabad. Last July, the CDA had stopped construction of the boundary wall on a plot meant for the temple citing legal reasons. There was agitation from some groups as well. Subsequently, the issue of constructing a temple with state fund was referred to the CII for advice. In October, the council ruled that there were no constitutional or Sharia constraints against constructing a temple in Islamabad or any other place in the country.
The decision was signed by 14 members of the CII had stated that Hindus, like all other religious groups in the country, have the constitutional right to have a place to perform the last rites of their deceased community members in accordance with their faith. "As per this right, it is permitted for the Hindu community in Islamabad to have a suitable place where they can perform last rites of the deceased according to religious instructions," the CII said.
The body also declared that the Hindu community was allowed to build a community centre on the site to hold wedding ceremonies per their customs along with other religious festivals under the Constitution and that there was "nothing wrong with it according to Sharia". Apart from Islamic considerations, the decision was made based on the Constitution and the LiaquatNehru Pact of 1950 that led to the establishment of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Pakistan and a similar entity in India. The previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) government had allotted 2,400 square yards for the construction of a Hindu temple in Sector H-9/2 in 2017