ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, May 20, 2012 (Hindustan Times): Unidentified men on Sunday vandalized a historic Hindu temple in Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan that was reopened on the orders of a court last year, police officials and local residents said. The attackers burnt pictures and damaged a Shivling inside Gorakhnath Temple and took away statues from the shrine located within an archaeological complex in Gor Gathri area, leaders of the Hindu community said.
The temple’s custodian told police that he had seen a group of eight men inside the temple when he arrived there at 6.30 pm. The men started burning pictures and holy books before fleeing with some statues, he said. He told the media that this was the third attack on the temple in the past two months.
Hindu leaders urged police to put in place better security measures to prevent such incidents.
The 160-year-old temple was reopened for Hindus last year on the orders of the Peshawar High Court. It has been closed since Partition.