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Multan, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan deployed a paramilitary organization in a conservative town in eastern Punjab on Thursday the day after a Muslim mob attacked a Hindu temple and was severely damaged.
In New Delhi, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistani diplomats to protest the attack and demand the protection of Hindus, mainly Muslims living in Pakistan.
The attack on Wednesday took place in the town of Bonn in the Rahimyarkhan district, after granting bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who allegedly blasphemed Madrasa or a religious school earlier this week. The mob damaged the statue, burned the front door of the temple, and temporarily blocked the nearby road.
The boy was previously arrested on suspicion of intentionally urinating on the carpet of the Madrasa library where religious books were stored. The mob claims that he committed blasphemy. This is an act punished by a death sentence in Pakistan, and mere accusations of blasphemy in the past have driven mobs into violence and deadly attacks.
Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the attack on Twitter and said he had ordered state police chiefs to take action against officers whose negligence may have contributed to the attack. Kahn also promised that the government would restore the temple.
Punjab police official Asif Raza said police had a list of 50 suspects and promised a swift arrest. He said the army was currently guarding the temple and security was provided to members of the Hindu community.
In New Delhi, India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Alindam Baguchi said, “The incident occurred at an alarming rate while Pakistan’s state and security agencies were lazy and completely unsuccessful in preventing these attacks. I have. “
Muslims and Hindus have lived peacefully mainly in Pakistan, but in recent years there have been attacks on Hindu temples. Most of Pakistan’s minority Hindus emigrated to India in 1947, when India was split by the British government.
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The Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this story from New Delhi.
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