Talk:Krishna Mandir, Lahore

Advani wrong, Krishna Mandir Unharmed: Ejaz

Friday, June 16, 2006

• Krishna Temple on Ravi Road, not in Rang Mahal, says EPTB chairman
• Developer says blackmailers got false stories printed against him

Staff Report

LAHORE: Federal Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq has rejected Indian opposition leader Lal Krishan Advani’s statement about the demolition of Krishna Mandir on Ravi Road in Lahore and that minorities in Pakistan did not have religious freedom.

“The Krishna Mandir is in perfect condition. I invite LK Advani to visit Lahore and pray at the temple,” Ejaz told reporters during a visit to Krishna Mandir on Thursday. He said that Rs 700,000 were spent on the renovation of Krishna Mandir a few months ago. The minister said that irresponsible statements by the Indian leadership could affect the ongoing peace process between the two countries.

Krishna Mandir supervisor Pandit Kashi Ram, who was with the minister, supported Ejaz’s statement and said the government was spending money on the temple’s renovation. He added that the government gave Rs 10,000 for holy festivals including Diwali, Dasehra and Holi observed at the Krishna Mandir.

Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) Chairman Lt Gen ® Zulfikar Ali Khan said the Krishna Temple was situated on Ravi Road and had not been demolished.

Khan rejected a newspaper report that the board had allowed a private developer to demolish Krishna Temple to build a commercial building. “The newspaper wrongly reported the Krishna Temple was situated in the Wachhowali Bazaar in Rang Mahal. The property under discussion and claimed as temple is a disputed piece of land under the EPTB’s control,” he said. There was a temple named ‘Sanatan Dharm Sabha’ in Rang Mahal, and even that was 300 feet away from where the developer was constructing his building, he added.

The EPTB chairman said the developer, Khawaja Sohail Naseem, was constructing a building according to an agreement with the EPTB. He said the developer had not sold the property, as alleged.

An official document showed that the property (number E-2351) consisting of seven marlas and 92 square feet had been given on a 30-year lease to Naseem at a minimum rent per square feet of Rs 33 and a non-refundable security of Rs 2.5 million.

The document said that an EPTB committee and Naseem negotiated the construction of a basement and a four-storey commercial building on the property on January 21, 2006. Naseem later told reporters that two men claiming to be journalists had visited him on May 10 and asked for Rs 100,000.

“They said the construction was illegal and threatened me to pay them” he said. “False stories have been printed against me because I did not pay them,” he added. He said he registered a compliant with the Lohari Gate police duty officer against the ‘journalists’ on May 11.

Meanwhile, Om Prakash Narayan, secretary general of Pakistan Minorities Welfare Council, on Thursday moved a petition in the Lahore High Court for the registration of a case against people responsible for demolishing a Hindu temple in Sooha Bazaar, Rang Mahal. Narayan’s lawyer Chaudhry Fawad alleged that the EPTB (Eastern Zone) chairman demolished the temple and allowed a jeweler to build a commercial building on the site.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\06\16\story_16-6-2006_pg13_1

Krishna temple is safe: Pakistan

Pakistan on Thursday denied media reports that the only Krishna temple in Lahore has been razed and said the temple is safe.

A structure was demolished to make way for the construction of a commercial complex, but there was no temple there, a foreign office statement said.

'The only Krishna temple that exists in Lahore is safe and the temple referred to in a section of the press is an abandoned property being used partly for residential and commercial purposes since the time of the independence according to a clarification of Evacuee Trust Property Board of Pakistan,' a Foreign Office statement said.

'The media report is factually incorrect. In fact, the Krishna temple is situated on Ravi Road, Lahore, whereas the property under reference is in Rang Mahal, Lahore. Both the locations are several kilometers apart,' it said.

However, there is a temple in Wachhowali Bazar in Lahore, which is about 300 feet away from the property under reference. That temple too is intact, the foreign office said.

Contrary to the alleged demolition, the Evacuee Trust Property Board has made considerable improvements in a number of temples including the Krishna temple, at the cost of Rs 13.8 million during the last three years, it said.

Report in a Pakistani newspaper that the only Krishna temple in Lahore has been demolished for construction of a commercial complex sparked off a strong reaction by the Sangh Parivar, including the Bharatiya Janata party, and the Indian government sought a clarification from Pakistan on the issue.

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/15temple.htm?q=np&file=.htm

Krishna Mandir in Lahore safe: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Dismissing as 'incorrect' the report of razing of the only Krishna Mandir in Lahore, Pakistan on Thursday said the temple is safe and no such structure exists at the site where the demolition for constructing a commercial complex took place.

"The only Krishna Mandir that exists in Lahore is safe and the temple referred to in the section of press is not the Krishna Mandir but an abandoned property being used partly as residential and commercial since the time of the independence says a clarification of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) of Pakistan," a Foreign Office statement said here on Thursday.

"The media report is factually incorrect. In fact Krishna Mandir is situated on Ravi Road, Lahore, whereas the property under reference is in Rang Mahal, Lahore. Both the locations are several kilometers apart", it said.

As no Mandir exists at the site, therefore, question of its demolition does not arise, it said. However, a Mandir in Wachhowali Bazar in Lahore exists in same vicinity, situated at about 300 feet away from the property under reference.

"The said Mandir is intact. Its surrounding property is being used for residential purposes by 35 occupants of ETPB since the independence of Pakistan", it said.

Contrary to the alleged demolition, ETPB has made considerable improvements in a number of Mandirs including Krishna Mandir, Lahore and Sadhu Bela Shrine and Sukkur at the cost of Rs 13.8 million during the last three years, it said.

Report in a Pakistani newspaper that the only Krishna temple in Lahore has been demolished for construction of a commercial complex sparked off a strong reaction by the Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, and the Indian government sought a clarification from Pakistan on the issue.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1651924.cms —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.27.157.24 (talk) 09:35, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

Dead link

During several automated bot runs the following external link was found to be unavailable. Please check if the link is in fact down and fix or remove it in that case!

• http://www.dawn.com/2006/05/28/nat23.htm
  • In 2006 Lahore temple demolition on 2011-05-26 02:07:54, Socket Error: 'A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond'
  • In 2006 Lahore temple demolition on 2011-06-14 04:53:46, Socket Error: 'An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host'

--JeffGBot (talk) 04:54, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

Move

I think this article should be moved to 2006 Lahore temple demolition hoax, given that it refers to rumors that were not based on facts.Wheatsing (talk) 02:13, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

I moved the page to Krishna Mandir demolition reports a while back, and I have updated it with sources that confirm that the reports were not correct. --Joshua Issac (talk) 22:17, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

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• Festival of Raksha Bandhan at Krishna Mandir (Lahore).jpg

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• Ritual of "Dahi Handi" or Uriadi is celebrated during the festival of Janmashtami at Krishna Mandir.jpg

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