Why muslims destroyed hindu temples

In December , a large mob destroyed a century-old Hindu temple in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan ranked the highest globally in incidents of mob violence and criminal charges against those accused of blasphemy, according to a May report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which surveyed incidents between and Regional government in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also suspends 33 other police officers for a year as punishment.

Many people have been arrested in connection with the destruction of the temple in remote northwestern town of Karak. Council of Islamic Ideology approves temple in Islamabad, saying Islamic law allows minority Hindus a place of worship. Published On 10 Aug Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan issued a statement yesterday via Twitter saying that he "strongly condemns" the attack and will ensure all culprits are arrested.

He adds that the government will restore the temple. A Punjabi police official, Asif Raza, told AP News that troops are now guarding the temple and providing security to members of the town's Hindu community. A list of 50 suspects has been drawn up and arrests are expected to be made swiftly, he says. Although instances of sectarian conflict between Muslims and Hindus are less common in Pakistan than they are in India, in recent years, as relations between the two neighbouring states have worsened, Hindu temples in Pakistan have increasingly come under attack by Muslim mobs.

Earlier this year a Hindu temple in Karachi was vandalised after blasphemy allegations were levelled at a local Hindu boy. In July, Islamic activists blocked the construction of the first Hindu temple in Islamabad by challenging it in the courts. However, last week permission was granted by the state body, the Council of Islamic Ideology, for the project to go ahead. This article is more than 10 months old.

A still from video footage shows the attack on the Hindu temple in the village of Teri. Photograph: Twitter. Islamic activists halt construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad. Read more.