Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Friday rejected allegations by India that a century-old Hindu temple in Narowal was demolished, saying the structure was damaged by torrential rains and that restoration work had been initiated.
FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan described the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ assertions as “false and politically motivated” in response to media queries about the temple at Adda Siraj in Narowal.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs had on September 2 expressed concern over reports concerning the destruction of the historic temple in Siraj village. It described the reported incident as an act of vandalism against a century-old minority place of worship.
Rejecting the allegation, Khan said the temple’s structure was damaged on July 21, 2026, following torrential rains.
“Unlike the false propaganda being peddled by India, the temple’s structure was damaged on July 21, 2026 due to torrential rains,” he said.
According to the FO, local authorities surveyed the damage after the incident and initiated steps to restore the building.
Khan also criticised India’s record on minority rights, saying that the Indian government’s allegations could not divert attention from what he described as the persecution of minorities and attacks on places of worship in India.
“Such deliberate distortion of facts cannot distract attention from India’s abysmal record of systematic persecution of minorities and state-sponsored attacks against their places of worship,” he said.
The spokesperson referred to what he called the “weaponisation of Hindutva ideology against minorities” and said Indian leaders must be held accountable for the persecution of Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities.
The exchange comes after India raised concerns over the condition of the historic Hindu site in Narowal, while Pakistan maintains that the building was damaged by severe weather and that measures are under way for its restoration.
