A week after Krishna Temple destruction, Pak Jihadists now destroy Buddha statue on instructions of Maulvi

India is a place where people from all religions are allowed to live happily. People are free to follow their religion. It is worth mentioning that Muslims in India are more than in Pakistan. Yet, India gives full freedom of jurisdiction to the mosques and respects the religious sentiments of the minorities. But Hindus are not free to follow their religion in Pakistan.

In yet another shocking incident, a recently discovered Buddha statue was destroyed by local construction workers at the behest of a Muslim cleric on Saturday in Pakistan. The relic was discovered while digging the foundation for a house in the Pashtun-dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Mardan district in Pakistan.

The idol of Gautam Buddha was found while digging up a water line and construction workers broke it down. Video of the incident went viral on social media like wildfire, after which an FIR was filed under Pakistan’s antiquity act. As per reports, four suspects have been arrested so far. The video, which is doing the rounds on social media, shows the construction workers, along with a Muslim cleric, smashing the Buddha statue using a sledgehammer.

According to reports, the idol was demolished on the order of a local Muslim cleric, who claimed that it is against Islam. ‘Your nikah would cease to exist and you will no more be a believer if the statue isn’t disposed of’, the cleric told the people at the site, who then followed his orders to destroy the priceless relic, which was accidentally discovered in a good condition.

District Police Officer Zahidullah said the incident took place when a water line was dug up and construction workers discovered the sculpture. “We have arrested contractor Qamar Zaman and his workers, Amjad, Aleem and Saleem for smashing the Buddha statue and have also recovered some of its pieces from them,” he said.

It is indeed very sad news for the Buddhist community living in Pakistan as well as for all Buddhists living all over the world. It also hurts sentiments of the Buddhist community living in Pakistan. The way Buddhist temples in Pakistan are being destroyed, the day will not be far when all Buddhist temples will get vanished and no one will be able to find a single Buddhist temple in Pakistan.

Several Hindu temples have also been destroyed in Pakistan. When Hindu temples are not safe in Pakistan, how can Hindus be safe in Pakistan? As per data, the percentage of Hindu in Pakistan has already decreased to 1.5% from 23% in 1947. If it continues, there will be no Hindu in Pakistan in the coming years.

Writer, historian, and activist Dharam Sikarwar is a very active author The Youth. He writes on national and international issues, environment, politics. He is an avid book reader as well.