Hindu temple vandalized in Pak, Hindu families saved by Muslims from angry attackers
Karachi: A Hindu temple in Pakistan's Sindh province was vandalized by an angry mob that also attempted to attack over 300 Hindu families but were stopped by Muslims from entering the century-old neighborhood, a media report said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Sunday in Sheetal Das compound, housing 300 Hindu and 30 Muslim families.
Residents of the neighborhood said that scores of men had assembled outside the compound's only gate and many of them intended to attack the Hindu families.
However, the Muslim families, residing in and around the compound, were quick to reach the gate and stop the mob from entering the area.
"Police, too, reached the spot within a few minutes after they were informed," a Hindu man, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune.
Another Hindu man said: "Some of the angry men had managed to reach the temple and tried to vandalize it".
They wanted to attack the compound's Hindu families, but the police foiled their attempt. However, other eyewitnesses, said that three pre-partition idols were destroyed during the episode, the report said.
"I never felt that fearful," said a teary-eyed resident, while sharing the ordeal.
An official from the police also confirmed that it was the Muslim families of the area whose resilience stopped the mob attack on the minority Hindu community.
"Had it not been for the Muslim families, it would have been very difficult to thwart the attack," said the senior police official.
Following the incident, over 60 Hindu families had shifted to other areas of the city by Tuesday.
"The fear still lingers and the people have left their homes and shifted women and children to locations they deem safe," said a resident.
One of the elders from the Hindu community, who has lived all his life in that compound, said that he "had never seen an attack of the sort as the one he witnessed on Sunday".
Hindus form almost two percent of the 220 million population in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Most of the Hindus live in Sindh province.
They often complain of harassment by the extremists.
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West Asia conflict: More than 700 travellers from MP stranded in UAE
Indore (PTI): More than 700 people from Madhya Pradesh, including two former MLAs, are stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, an office-bearer of a travel agents' outfit said on Sunday.
Several people from the state had travelled to the UAE for tourism and business purposes, and the crisis in the region had left them stranded, Amol Kataria, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India's MP unit, told PTI.
Many travellers from the state had cancelled their upcoming trips to Dubai and Sharjah, he added.
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Kataria said that more than 700 people were stuck in the UAE, and among them, former MLA and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sanjay Shukla is in Dubai.
"Due to the current international situation, our return to India today could not take place as Dubai airport was temporarily closed. We are receiving full cooperation from the Dubai administration and the Government of India. We will return to Indore as soon as the situation normalises," Shukla's post on social media stated.
Talking to PTI, the former Indore legislator's son, Sagar, said that his father had gone to Dubai three days ago with former Depalpur MLA Vishal Patel and some industrialist friends, and was scheduled to return to Indore on Sunday.
He said he had spoken to his father over the phone and heard explosions during the conversation, following which his father and his friends moved to a safe location.
He expressed hope that his father and his friends would return home soon with the efforts of the Indian government.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, in a social media post, claimed that over 100 citizens from the state were stranded at Dubai and Sharjah airports.
Women, children and families had been facing inconvenience for several hours, and anxiety had increased after flight cancellations, he said.
Patwari urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately and ensure the safety of all Indians stranded in the UAE, while making arrangements for their early return home.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed early on Sunday.
Hundreds of flights have been disrupted across West Asia and in other countries, including India, due to airspace restrictions following the joint attack and retaliatory action by Iran.
