<p> An ancient Hindu temple in this northwestern Pakistani city is being demolished secretly in the name of repair with a commercial plaza set to come up on its land.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ancient Hindu temple located in Karimpura in Peshawar's old city is being demolished in the name of repairs, several inhabitants of the area said.<br /><br />They said the process started some 10 days and is going on without any hindrance.<br />"It is a pity that a criminal act of pulling down a heritage structure has been launched. The building is being knocked down clandestinely to erect a commercial plaza on the site," a resident said.<br /><br />"There is no action from any of the government departments which are supposed to protect such buildings," the resident said.<br /><br />Another resident said it was a double-criminal act.<br /><br />"On the one hand an ancient building is being demolished while on the other a commercial plaza is set to be constructed on its land in a purely residential area," he told The News.<br /><br />Residents have questioned the silence of the relevant government departments over the entire episode.<br /><br />They deplored the inaction of government authorities in the wake of the the demolition of the heritage building.<br /><br />There is no action by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Auqaf Department dealing with the non-Muslim properties and the Archaeology Department -- the departments tasked with protecting such properties.<br /><br />"Either these departments are a partner in the crime or they are negligent," a resident said.<br /><br />Demanding an immediate halt to the demolition process, the residents asked ETPB Chairman Saddique-ul-Farooq to order a probe into the issue to bring to justice the government officials whose negligence or tacit approval had put in danger the ancient Hindu temple.<br /><br />The Civil Society members, in a statement, said this is a painful story in all major cities of Pakistan where speculative land mafia in collusion with lower-tier government officials and police get away with destroying Pakistan's precious heritage.<br /><br />The government is reduced to being a silent spectator in this demolition, they said.</p>
<p> An ancient Hindu temple in this northwestern Pakistani city is being demolished secretly in the name of repair with a commercial plaza set to come up on its land.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ancient Hindu temple located in Karimpura in Peshawar's old city is being demolished in the name of repairs, several inhabitants of the area said.<br /><br />They said the process started some 10 days and is going on without any hindrance.<br />"It is a pity that a criminal act of pulling down a heritage structure has been launched. The building is being knocked down clandestinely to erect a commercial plaza on the site," a resident said.<br /><br />"There is no action from any of the government departments which are supposed to protect such buildings," the resident said.<br /><br />Another resident said it was a double-criminal act.<br /><br />"On the one hand an ancient building is being demolished while on the other a commercial plaza is set to be constructed on its land in a purely residential area," he told The News.<br /><br />Residents have questioned the silence of the relevant government departments over the entire episode.<br /><br />They deplored the inaction of government authorities in the wake of the the demolition of the heritage building.<br /><br />There is no action by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Auqaf Department dealing with the non-Muslim properties and the Archaeology Department -- the departments tasked with protecting such properties.<br /><br />"Either these departments are a partner in the crime or they are negligent," a resident said.<br /><br />Demanding an immediate halt to the demolition process, the residents asked ETPB Chairman Saddique-ul-Farooq to order a probe into the issue to bring to justice the government officials whose negligence or tacit approval had put in danger the ancient Hindu temple.<br /><br />The Civil Society members, in a statement, said this is a painful story in all major cities of Pakistan where speculative land mafia in collusion with lower-tier government officials and police get away with destroying Pakistan's precious heritage.<br /><br />The government is reduced to being a silent spectator in this demolition, they said.</p>