Authorities in Pakistan have sealed a Hindu temple about 200 years old after protests over an attempt to demolish it to make way for a commercial building. The historic Ramlila temple in Dera Ismail Khan, in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was taken into government custody after members of the Hindu community and civil society protested. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) then sealed it.
India Today reported this, citing the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Officials told PTI that the local administration took the temple into custody on Saturday and the ETPB then sealed it. Earlier in the week, local residents had stopped demolition work on the temple in the Rahim Bazar area of Dera Ismail Khan.
The episode has revived debate amid concern over the safety and rights of religious minorities in Pakistan.
Sohail Ahmed Azmi, president of the Dera civil society and the local traders’ association, said he rushed to the site with other residents on hearing that the building was being pulled down. There, a man claimed he had been given the contract for the demolition.
Civil society representatives and members of the Hindu community then gathered to oppose the plan. They demanded an investigation into who owns the property and whether a commercial building can lawfully be put up there, and called on elected representatives to raise the matter in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
One of about 400 heritage buildings
According to the PTI report, the ETPB has listed about 400 buildings in Dera Ismail Khan as cultural heritage properties.
The ETPB is a Pakistani government body. It manages property left behind by people who moved to India after Partition in 1947, and property held in trust for religious minorities. Several Hindu and Sikh religious sites in Pakistan are in its care.
Haroon Sarab Diyal, chairman of the All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement, said he hoped Hindu religious sites in the province would receive special protection under the current governor’s rule. He also called for a full investigation into allegations that religious property was illegally occupied or sold between 2013 and 2026.
Governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Citing a deterioration in law and order, Pakistan’s government imposed governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October. The federal government has accused the provincial government, run by the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, of failing to cooperate with counter-terrorism operations.
Local residents and heritage campaigners regard the Ramlila temple as an important part of Dera Ismail Khan’s historical and religious heritage. Civil society representatives said an earlier attempt to put up a commercial building on the same site had also been blocked by residents and traders.
Dera Ismail Khan and the surrounding area hold several other historic Hindu religious and archaeological sites. According to Pakistan’s Department of Archaeology and Museums, among them is the temple complex at Bilot Sharif, which dates from the seventh to the early eleventh century.
Concern over minority rights
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for more transparency and accountability in the ETPB’s work, and recommended reforming the board to give religious minorities greater representation.
In a report published on Thursday, the HRCP said minorities in Pakistan still face violations of basic rights, misuse of blasphemy laws, forced marriage and conversion, and discrimination.
The report, titled “Sanctuary Denied: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025/26”, highlights the abduction and forced marriage of Hindu and Christian girls, discrimination at work, and the neglect of minorities’ concerns.
After residents and rights campaigners stopped the demolition, the temple now stands sealed in government custody. Community representatives continue to demand a full investigation into its ownership and the legality of the proposed commercial building.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report