Pak claims demolished temple 'did not exist'

A Hindu temple in Karachi's congested Soldier Bazar area was demolished by the country's military lands and cantonment department this week and now the department insists that the temple did not exist in the place the demolition was carried out. Imtiaz Ahmad reports.

A Hindu temple in Karachi's congested Soldier Bazar area was demolished by the country's military lands and cantonment department this week and now the department insists that the temple did not exist in the place the demolition was carried out.

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The Shri Rama Pir Mandir, which was visited by both Hindus and Muslims alike was torn down by the military earlier this week on grounds that the building was an illegal construction. However, the Pakistan army's land department knocked down the building in a bid to clear the highly prized land as it has been leased to a private builder.

Taking account of the press reports on the destruction of the temple, President Zardari had ordered an inquiry into the incident. Director of Military Lands and Cantonment Zeenat Ahmed , however, insisted that the temple was not damaged.

"Of what I have been told by my people, the temple is still standing and is untouched," she said, adding that the actual temple was somewhere else and deities had been taken from there and put on the site.