ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has categorically rejected what it described as “false and politically motivated” assertions by India regarding damage to a Hindu temple at Adda Siraj in Narowal.
In this regard, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the claims made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs were misleading and did not accurately indicate the circumstances surrounding the damage to the temple.
The statement was issued in response to media queries concerning an Indian Ministry of External Affairs press release on the condition of the Hindu temple.
The structure of the temple was damaged on July 21, 2026, due to torrential rains.
Pakistan rejected suggestions that the damage was the result of any deliberate act, saying local authorities had already conducted a survey of the affected structure.
The Foreign Office further stated that steps had been initiated for the restoration of the temple building, indicating that authorities were addressing the damage through rehabilitation measures.
The Pakistani Foreign Office accused India of distorting facts surrounding the incident and described the Indian position as an attempt to create a misleading narrative.
“Such deliberate distortion of facts,” the statement said, could not divert attention from what Pakistan described as India’s record concerning minorities and places of worship.
Pakistan Raises Minority Rights Concerns
The Foreign Office also broadened its criticism by referring to what it called the persecution of minorities and attacks on their places of worship in India.
Pakistan said the international community was aware of concerns surrounding the treatment of religious minorities and called for accountability regarding the protection of Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities.
The statement also criticised what it termed the “weaponization” of Hindutva ideology against minorities.
The latest development mentions the continued sensitivity surrounding religious sites and minority rights in Pakistan-India relations.
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Pakistan’s Foreign Office maintained that the Narowal temple damage was caused by severe weather rather than deliberate action, while rejecting India’s assertions as politically motivated.
