Pakistan – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Pakistan rejects India claim that a Hindu temple in Narowal was deliberately destroyed. The Foreign Office says the real cause was heavy monsoon rain, not any act of hostility.
The dispute centers on a temple in Adda Siraj, a small area inside Narowal district in Punjab. India’s foreign ministry had earlier said it was worried about reports of damage to the site.
FO Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan pushed back hard on that version of events. He called India’s claims false and politically driven.
According to Khan, the temple’s structure gave way on July 21 because of extremely heavy rainfall in the area. He said this had nothing to do with religious targeting, unlike what Indian officials were suggesting.
Local officials have already visited the site. They have surveyed the rain damage and started planning repair work to restore the building.
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Statement by the Spokesperson
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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 4, 2026
Khan didn’t stop at just denying the claim. He called India’s move a cheap tactic meant to shift attention elsewhere.
He argued that India often brings up such stories to distract from its own problems at home. In his view, India has a poor record when it comes to protecting its religious minorities.
The spokesperson pointed to what he described as growing hostility linked to Hindutva politics inside India. He said minority groups there, including Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians, continue to face pressure and unfair treatment.
Human rights groups and the United Nations have raised similar concerns in recent years. Reports point to rising hate speech, a citizenship law based on religion, and demolitions targeting Muslim-owned homes and businesses.
Other issues include the loss of special status for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir. A new anti-conversion law has also drawn criticism for limiting people’s freedom to choose their own faith.
This is not an isolated incident either. Across India, groups linked to the Hindutva movement have been targeting old mosques and Islamic-era buildings, claiming many were originally built over Hindu temples. Such claims have picked up pace since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.
Earlier this year, in May, Indian authorities placed a ban on slaughtering cows, calves, and camels just before Eid ul Adha. Around the same time, Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered that Eid prayers only be held at approved locations, ruling out namaz on public roads.
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