Temple attack in Pakistan not because of faith: Reema Abbasi

Asserting that Hindus were not persecuted in her country, Pakistani journalist-author Reema Abbasi on Saturday attributed land-grabbing rather faith behind attacks on temples in Pakistan.

"No temple has been razed on ground of faith. Yes, when the Babri Masjid demolition happened, there was a backlash in Pakistan, but otherwise the attacks on temples were not because of faith," Abbasi said at the Kolkata Literary Festival.

"So when people see headlines about a temple being attacked, they should look into the fine print where they will find that the reasons are land-grabbing or greed," said the author of "Historic Temples in Pakistan: A Call to Conscience".

She also said some attacks on temples took place to accommodate a large number of people displaced due to the war against terrorism.

Abbasi, who in her book has documented ancient temples chronicling old pilgrimage sites like Hinglaj, Katas Raj, Kalka Cave temple, Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir, and Shivala Mandir in present day Pakistan, termed as a "myth" media reports about "persecution" of Hindus in Pakistan.

"Hindus are not persecuted in Pakistan, it's all myth. And it's all because of the media hype. People usually go by the headlines which grab the eyeballs but they should instead go through the fine print which will eventually get them to the truth," she said.

"In 2013, there were 265 forced conversions in Pakistan, but in 2015 there have been only 14 such cases. Of course, not a single such case should happen, but it has been a part of the South Asian society and not just Pakistan alone," the author added.

Abbasi informed her next book is on South Asian Islamic scholar and philosopher Moinuddin Chishti also known as Gharib Nawaz.