- Punjab government denies temple demolition, blames heavy rain.
- Pakistan commits to restore the 100-year-old damaged Hindu temple.
- Local reports alleged demolition by religious zealots for seminary.
Lahore/New Delhi: A day after a massive uproar over the demolition of an over century old Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province, reportedly to include its land in a madrassa, the government has now rejected the report as “factually incorrect”. It said the temple land was not leased to anyone and added the adjoining land had been leased to a seminary.
It said the structure, which is now “damaged”, will be restored by the government.
"Temple was not demolished"
Quoting a screengrab of a report published in Pakistan’s English daily, the Punjab government, in a social media post, asserted that the temple was not demolished in Siraj Village, and added that it collapsed due to torrential rainfall on August 21.
⭕️ *The recent Dawn report concerns a more than 100 year old Hindu Temple in Siraj Village, District Narowal, which collapsed due to torrential rainfall on August 21, 2026.*
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) September 1, 2026
⭕️ Contrary to what the Dawn has claimed, *the adjoining land had been leased to a seminary, but the… pic.twitter.com/0EDNWs3Rad
In a report published by news agency PTI, local people, minority bodies and a political party said a group of religious zealots demolished the temple to include its land in an adjacent seminary. Occupying approximately 1,000 sq metres of land, the 100-125-year-old temple was located in Siraj village of Narowal, some 130 kms from Lahore.
What local claims
The people who demolished the temple on August 21 reportedly belonged to the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a banned far-right Islamic party. The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP) has urged the Punjab government to take action against those involved in the demolition of the temple and ensure its reconstruction.
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The land adjoining the temple had previously been leased by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for a madrassa, he said, adding that the lease was later cancelled after the rent allegedly remained unpaid for several years and the premises were not used for the stated purpose. He further said that several people subsequently occupied portions of the property illegally.
Pakistan govt's damage control after lease report surfaces
However, the government has denied the report and asked the publisher to stick to the facts, not allegations. “Contrary to what Dawn has claimed, the adjoining land had been leased to a seminary, but the temple's own land had never been leased to anyone,” read the statement released by the Punjab government.
“Responsible journalism should certainly report allegations. But it must clearly distinguish between an allegation, a claim, and a fact,” it added.
“When a matter involves a sensitive issue such as a religious place of worship, the responsibility to verify every claim becomes even greater,” as per the statement.
It said Minister for Minorities Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has also visited the Hindu temple site and found “just a portion of the temple sign collapsed due to torrential rainfall, which the government has committed to restore”.
“Once a narrative suggesting religious persecution gains momentum, the damage to communal harmony, Pakistan's image, and public trust may be irreparable,” said the Punjab government.
(With inputs from agencies)