PAKISTAN’S TOP ISLAMIC BODY APPROVES CONSTRUCTION OF HINDU TEMPLE | AfriTV Online

Pakistan’s state-run council of clerics, which advises the government on religious issues, has given its approval for the construction of a new temple for minority Hindus, ruling that Islamic law allows minorities a place of worship.

Lal Malhi, a prominent Hindu leader who is also a member of parliament, applauded the ruling but noted the council also recommended the government not spend public funds directly on the construction of private places of worship.

Currently, there is no functioning temple for Hindus in Islamabad. About 3,000 Hindus live in the capital with its population of more than one million, mostly Muslims. In a statement, the Council of Islamic Ideology also said Hindus in Pakistan had a constitutional right to perform the last rites of their deceased.

“In light of 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 statement said. The council also permitted the building of community centres for the minority group to hold weddings and religious events, which the council noted was their constitutional right.

• pakistani
• hindu
• temple
• religious
• islamic