Samadhi temple’s construction from April 5; Justice Ijaz says

ISLAMABAD (APP): The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief secretary to complete reconstruction of century old Hindu temple in six months that was vandalized and set on fire by a mob in Karak district.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case.

During the course of proceedings, the apex court restrained the Hindu community from interfering in the construction of the Karak temple Samadhi.

The court directed the provincial government to ensure early completion of the temple.

The KP advocate general informed the court that the construction work was about to start when Hindu Council chairman and Member of the National Assembly Ramesh Kumar stopped the contractor to commence the construction work.

Ramesh Kumar said the contractor did not have the capacity for the construction of the temple. The KP government had approved a budget of Rs35 million for the construction of Samadhi, while the construction work was worth Rs55 million, he added.

He said the contractor did not even have the money to start the construction.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan remarked that the construction work of Samadhi was to start from April 5, and its construction was to be completed in six months.

Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that the construction of Samadhi was the responsibility of the state.

The apex court directed KP chief secretary to start work on Samadhi soon and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.