Shimla authorities grant 3 months for partial demolition of Sanjauli mosque
Shimla, Dec 21: The Municipal Commissioner here on Saturday granted the Sanjauli mosque committee three months to raze the unauthorised floors of a contested mosque.
The commissioner had on October 5 ordered the demolition of three "unauthorised" stories of the disputed five-storey mosque in Shimla's Sanjauli within eight weeks.
The court on Saturday also directed the Sanjauli Mosque Committee and Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board to file the next status report on March 15, after which the hearing of the remaining two floors of the mosque will take place.
The committee's lawyer, B R Thakur, informed the court that 50 per cent of the demolition of three floors has already been completed.
"The committee has requested additional time to complete the demolition work and the Court has given time till March 15," he added.
He said that time is also required to collect the revenue records of the mosque.
On October 5, the Commissioner's Court directed the Waqf Board to demolish the top three floors of the mosque at their own cost.
On September 11, ten people were injured during a protest for the demolition of a portion of the mosque since contested.
A day later, the Muslim Welfare Committee gave a representation to the municipal Corporation commissioner asking for the sealing of an unauthorised portion of the mosque and offered to demolish the unauthorised portion.
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Pakistan's Balochistan appoints first Hindu woman Assistant Commissioner
Karachi, May 13 (PTI): Kashish Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Pakistani Hindu woman, has made history by becoming the first female from the minority community in Balochistan to be appointed as Assistant Commissioner in the restive province.
Kashish, who hails from the remote town of Noshki in district Chagai in the province, qualified Balochistan Public Service Commission (BPSC) examination.
On Monday, Kashish, accompanied by her father Girdhari Lal, met Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti in Quetta and told him that she would work for the empowerment of women and minorities, and the overall development of the province.
“It is a matter of great pride for me that my daughter has become an assistant commissioner due to her hard work and commitment,” Lal told the media.
Lal, a mid-level trader, said his daughter had always dreamed of studying and doing something for her women.
Chief Minister Bugti said it was a matter of pride for the nation when members of the minority communities got to key positions due to their hard work and effort.
“Kashish is a symbol of pride for the nation and Balochistan,” he said.
In recent years, women from the Hindu community have achieved notable success in generally male-dominated fields in Pakistan, overcoming many cultural, religious and social hurdles to get to important positions.
In July 2022, Manesh Ropeta became the first Hindu woman to be appointed as Superintendent of Police in Karachi, where she is still fulfilling her duties.
Pushpa Kumari Kohli, a 35-year-old police sub-inspector in Karachi, said Hindu women have the tenacity and intelligence to reach the top.
“I also passed the Sindh police Public Services Examination. There are many more Hindu girls out there waiting to educate themselves and become something,” said Kohli, who belongs to a scheduled caste.
Suman Pawan Bodani is still serving as a civil judge in Hyderabad after first being appointed as a civil judge in her hometown of Shahdadkot in Sindh province in 2019.
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a politician in Sindh province, believes that young Hindu girls, who are supported by their families, have shown more inclination and initiative to gain education and pursue higher studies.
“Our young women are doing us proud. We have doctors, civil servants, police officers, etc in Sindh,” he said.
He said that despite being notorious for its problem of underage and young Hindu girls being abducted and converted by Muslim men, Sindh required more educational facilities for the Hindu community to counter such menaces.
Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.
The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province.
