Settlement: K-P govt forms panel to resolve shrine row

K-P govt constitutes committee to settle dispute over illegal occupation of Hindu shrine by locals in Karak district.

ISLAMABAD:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a high-powered committee to settle a dispute over the illegal occupation of a Hindu shrine by locals in the district of Karak.

On Monday, Advocate General Latif Yousufzai submitted a report in the Supreme Court on the shrine’s occupation.

According to the report, K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak held a meeting on June 6 in the provincial assembly deputy speaker’s chamber, wherein it was decided that a six member-committee would be formed to look into the incident. The committee is chaired by Deputy Speaker Imtiaz Shahid and includes Advisor to CM on Jails Malik Qasin Khan, MPA Shah Sahib Khan and deputy commissioner Karak.

The report states that the chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board has no objection to the handover of the shrine to followers of Shri Param Hans Ji.

The chairman ordered the district administration to prevail upon the locals to leave the shrine. Secretary Auqaf Hajj and Religious and Minorities Affairs Muhammad Younis Javed recommended the formation of a jirga to mediate with the locals.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2014.