FO rejects India's temple demolition claims

Islamabad describes Delhi's narrative as 'false, politically motivated'

ISLAMABAD:

The Foreign Office on Friday rejected India's allegations over the reported demolition of a century-old Hindu temple in Narowal as "false and politically motivated," saying the structure had been damaged by torrential rains.

India's Foreign Ministry on September 2 expressed concern over reports of the destruction of the historic temple in Siraj village, describing it as an act of vandalism against a century-old minority place of worship.

"We categorically reject the false and politically motivated assertions made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs," FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said in response to media queries regarding the temple at Adda Siraj, Narowal.

"Unlike the false propaganda being peddled by India, the temple's structure was damaged on July 21, 2026 due to torrential rains," Khan said. He added that local authorities had already surveyed the damage caused by the rains and "initiated steps for the restoration of the building."

"It is, therefore, shameful that India is distorting facts and resorting to cheap gimmicks," the spokesperson said.

According to the Pakistani government, the over-century-old temple had collapsed following torrential rains.

However, a minority rights group had claimed that the structure was deliberately demolished to facilitate the expansion of an adjoining seminary.

Khan said India's "distortion of facts" could not divert attention from its treatment of minorities. "Such deliberate distortion of facts cannot distract attention from India's abysmal record of systematic persecution of minorities and state-sponsored attacks against their places of worship," he said.

"The world is well aware of the weaponisation of Hindutva ideology against minorities," the spokesperson concluded, noting that Indian leadership "must be held accountable" for the persecution of Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities.