The Peshawar High Court (PHC) last week allowed Hindus to worship at the historical temple of Gorgathri, a site of archeological interest that is protected by the government. Hearing the case filed by a Hindu woman named Phool Vatte, the court ordered proper security at the temple and freedom of worship at the temple for the Hindu community. The court maintained the governmental control of the temple, which is currently being taken care of by the provincial department of archeology.A lower court had earlier rejected the claim of the applicant to the temple’s control. By granting permission to worship, the Peshawar High Court has set a good example of freedom for minorities in practicing their religious rights without state intervention or coercion. Thus, hope for living without oppression for being non-Muslim in the province has been boosted by the judiciary, which in cases of blasphemy in Punjab province had become a disappointment for Christians.
Hindu and Sikh minorities inhabit many different places throughout Pakistan. In and around Peshawar, they have been concerned about the preservation of their places of worship for many years. One such case came to public attention in 2003 when the Balmiki temple in the Kalibari area of Peshawar faced the threat of demolition by the Pakistan army, which planned to daze the temple and the nearby buildings occupied by Hindu residents and erect a shopping center in their stead. The Hindu community firmly resisted this advance of the military against their traditional place of worship.
In a recent instance of concern for the Sikh community in Lahore (Punjab), Sikhs were barred from entering their own temple by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) after it was talked into doing so by a fundamentalist Muslim group. The Sikh community then feared that ETPB was planning to occupy places of worship of the Sikh community throughout the country.
Despite the constitutional assurance of freedom of religion for minorities, the ground reality has been shadowy for many non-Muslim communities in Pakistan. What is needed urgently is fresh legislature that prohibits any governmental or private transgression of boundaries of worship places sacred to people of different religious faiths.
