QUETTA, PAKISTAN, June 29, 2008: Protesters demanded the federal government cancel construction plans for a dam on Hangol River in order to avoid damage to a historical Hindu temple.
Balochistan Minister for Irrigation and Power Sardar Muhammad Aslam Bizenjo, along with several other provincial ministers, moved a joint resolution against construction of the dam.
The location of the dam concurs with the historical Hinglaj Mata temple, a shrine visited by tens of thousands of local and foreign Hindus annually. The temple is also the venue for a grand annual religious festival held every April. The resolution said that if the government continued with the project, the temple was likely to be inundated with water and all roads leading to it getting completely closed. “We request the government to respect the sentiments of our fellow Hindu brothers. If the temple is damaged, Pakistan’s image on the global front would suffer and the Hindus living all across the world would be upset. We request the protection of the Hinglaj Mata temple,” demanded the resolution. The dam also faces opposition from environmentalists.