100-year-old Shiva temple land encroached in Pakistan, Hindu community endures continued persecution
Tando Jam, Sindh, Pakistan 
21 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Sindh, Pakistan, a 100-year-old Shiv temple near Tando Jam was encroached upon by land grabbers who have begun illegal construction around it, blocking access routes. Shiva Kachhi, head of Darawar Ittehad Pakistan, reported the incident and urged the government to halt the development and protect the site, which holds religious and historical importance for the local Hindu community. The Shiv Mandir, located in Musa Khatian hamlet approximately 185 kilometres from Karachi, stands on four acres of land and holds significant religious and historical importance. The temple was renovated last year by the Sindh Heritage Department. Prior to the encroachment, a committee managed the temple and its adjacent land, ensuring its upkeep and religious function. The area also contains a cremation site for the Hindu community, where annual religious ceremonies are conducted. Additionally, local Hindu residents gather at the temple every Monday to sing bhajans and perform religious observances. The encroachment and unauthorised construction have disrupted both access to the temple and the peaceful practice of faith by the community. Kachhi expressed deep concern regarding the growing influence of land mafias in the region, highlighting that several plots of land surrounding the temple have already been seized for construction. He urged the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to stop the unlawful development and to safeguard religious heritage sites belonging to the Hindu minority. Darawar Ittehad Pakistan, the organisation led by Kachhi, provides legal support and humanitarian aid to the marginalised Hindu population in Sindh. In his appeal, Kachhi reaffirmed the duty of the state to protect places of worship and uphold the rights of minority communities within the Islamic Republic. Pakistan’s Hindu community continues to face targeted attacks and neglect of its religious heritage. A historic temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, abandoned since the 1947 Partition, was demolished to make way for a commercial complex. The site, once home to the “Khyber Temple” in Landi Kotal Bazaar, had been allowed to decay by the authorities. In 2023, two Hindu temples in Sindh were desecrated on the same day—one attacked with rocket launchers in Kashmore, targeting both the temple and surrounding Hindu homes. In Karachi, the 150-year-old Mari Mata Mandir in Soldier Bazaar was razed overnight. Local authorities demolished the temple under the cover of darkness and in the absence of electricity, while police reportedly shielded the perpetrators. The temple’s priest and residents indicated that land grabbers had been eyeing the property, and the demolition left only the gate and outer walls standing. Meanwhile, Panj Tirath, a 1,000-year-old Hindu site in Peshawar designated as a National Heritage site, was reduced to a warehouse by a private company leasing it from the government. Archaeological restoration efforts were thwarted by armed threats against officials, highlighting the systemic disregard for Hindu religious and cultural sites across Pakistan. Hindu minorities in Pakistan face persistent persecution, marked by systemic discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. Hindus, particularly women and young girls, are often abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to Muslim men with little to no legal recourse. Temples are frequently vandalised or destroyed, and Hindu communities are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against Hindus, leading to false accusations and severe punishments. Many Hindu families are forced to flee their homes due to religious intolerance, living in constant fear of attacks. This sustained persecution highlights the dire conditions for Hindus in Pakistan, where their religious identity makes them targets of oppression.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack on Hindu religious representations. The sub-category selected is - Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near the temple. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other primary category selected is - Restriction/Ban on Hindu Practices. The sub-category selected is - Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. This case constitutes a hate crime as it involves the deliberate encroachment upon land that is sacred to the Hindu community. In Hinduism, a temple is not merely a structure; it is considered the divine residence of a consecrated deity. The temple and its surrounding land are imbued with religious sanctity and are treated as extensions of the deity's presence. Therefore, any intrusion or seizure of this space is not only unlawful but also deeply offensive to the religious sentiments of Hindus. The unlawful occupation of temple land by non-Hindu groups, especially when it is followed by construction or commercial development, represents more than a mere property dispute. It is an act of religious aggression that targets a marginalised community’s spiritual and cultural heritage. Such actions fit within the framework of a hate crime because they demonstrate animus against a religious group and seek to erase or undermine their places of worship. When Hindu temples and their premises are systematically encroached upon, especially by groups or institutions affiliated with other faiths, it reflects a pattern of religious hostility and discrimination. This makes it necessary to classify these incidents as hate crimes aimed specifically at Hindus due to their religious identity. The encroachment and illegal construction around the historic Shiv Mandir in Musa Khatian, Sindh, constitute a religiously motivated hate crime under the category of restriction on the expression of Hindu identity. This incident reflects a deliberate attempt to suppress the Hindu community’s right to practice and express their religion by obstructing access to a temple that holds deep spiritual and historical significance. Muslim land mafias—driven by animosity or disregard for Hindu heritage—have blocked access routes and disrupted religious gatherings, including weekly bhajan sessions. Such actions deny Hindus the right to worship freely and preserve their cultural heritage, making them clear examples of hate crimes rooted in prejudice against the Hindu faith. This is not an isolated incident, but it is a part of a larger pattern of religious persecution against the Hindu minority in Pakistan. This persecution encompasses various forms of discrimination and violence, deeply affecting the community's ability to practice their faith. By demolishing, encroaching or vandalising places of worship, Pakistani Muslims effectively displace Hindu communities and suppress their religious and cultural practices. Such actions stem from an inherent Hinduphobia, and for this reason, this case qualifies for inclusion in the hate tracker database. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the illegal construction on the land surrounding the temple started. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
