Advani for early completion of temple in Chakwal, Pakistan

(The Katasraj temple in Chakwal district, Pakistan)

You all may recall that at the request of the then Government of Pakistan, in May-June 2005, Shri L.K.Advani had formally inaugurated a project for the restoration of 'Katas Raj Temples', whose antiquity goes back to the era of the Mahabharata at Chakwal, about 100 kilometres from Lahore.

Advaniji was accompanied then to that inauguration ceremony by Pakistani leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack, when Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain spoke to Advaniji, Shri Advaniji took the opportunity and enquired about the status of the restoration work.

It's heartenining that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain emailed back to Advaniji that 'the work is being undertaken with serious commitment'. He also added: 'For my part I shall continue to follow up'.

On Friday, December 05, 2008 Tariq Butt of The Pakistani daily The Pakistani Daily, 'The News', reports,

"ISLAMABAD: Top BJP leader LK Advani, in a telephonic conversation with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, has expressed his keenness on early completion of renovation work of ancient Hindu temples in Katas Raj near, Chakwal.

The PML-Q chief phoned the BJP leader to record his sympathies over the Nov 27 Mumbai terrorist attack that killed more than a hundred people. “During our talk, Advani did not blame Pakistan for the Mumbai carnage,” Chaudhry Shujaat told this correspondent. Shujaat informed the BJP leader that Pakistan, itself a victim of terrorism, condemned the scourge in all its forms and manifestations. He said those who struck Mumbai wanted to derail the peace process for which Pakistan had always shown eagerness.

The Indian leader, Chaudhry Shujaat said, wanted an early conclusion of the massive renovation work in Katas Raj by March next because the place was considered as one of the holiest sites of Hindus. During his June 2005 visit to Pakistan, Advani had laid the foundation stone of the renovation work of the Hindu temples. He was accompanied by the PML-Q head during the trip. The former Punjab government, headed by Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, had allocated Rs 100 million for the project, including the construction of a hotel and segregated places for Ashnan for males and renovation of the temples. However, there are reports the renovation work has suffered a slowdown, and that is why Shujaat plans to talk to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to treat it as a federal project. Shujaat does not want to leave it to the Punjab government for execution. The PML-Q chief also talked to the Chakwal district Nazim, who reported that the work had been suspended due to lack of attention. But an official of the Punjab Archaeology Department told this correspondent the renovation work was going on at its usual pace. He said the Punjab Archaeology, Public Health Engineering and Building departments were involved in works on the site.The official added almost 40 per cent of the work had been executed. But he pointed out the projects undertaken by the Archaeology Department always moved slowly because of the specific nature of its work. He argued skilled workers, who could carry out this kind of job, were not easily available. He said another two to three years would be required for completing the project.", quote unquote.

Thanks for your patience !

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