The Hindu community the world over and in some parts of Pakistan is celebrating Diwali on Tuesday. Those living in Islamabad are making arrangements to observe the festival in their houses as there is no temple in the capital city except one in Rawalpindi.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the main Hindu festivals, which is dedicated to expression of happiness over the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile.

Whitewashing and cleaning of homes is part of the preparations while the evening earmarks decorations with lightings. Earthen lamps are also lighted at doorways to mark the festivity.

The vast majority of Hindus in the twin cities cannot participate in their religious functions due to lack of a collective place for worship.The Hindus in the twin cities include those who have been living here for centuries and the ones who migrated to the federal capital from other parts of the country, mainly Sindh.

“There is always a feeling of depression whenever we have a festival,” said Santosh Kumar, a trader in the federal capital whose family has been living here for around two decades.

“Most of the time we pray at our homes and whenever any large gathering is to be held, it is done in a hall or hotel. But this does not give the feeling of passion and spirituality attached with the religion,” he added.

He said the number of Hindus in the federal capital had swelled to around 800 and there should be at least one temple and one crimination place.

Though, there are many old temples in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and surrounding areas, they are not inhabited or the buildings are utilised by any government department.

The most notable are the temples at Rawaldam and Saidpur villages while the temple at Saidpur has been turned into a showpiece by CDA. The building of the temple overlooking Rawal Lake is decaying slowly.

“We have approached the ministry of minorities’ affairs and even the Hindu MNAs requesting if any of the abandoned temples could be transferred to us so that we can pray there, but to no avail,” said Santosh Kumar.

Apart from the locals, a small number of foreign Hindus are also residing in the federal capital, mostly Indian diplomats and a few belonging to the UN missions and embassy staff of western countries.

“While there are churches, it is an irony that there is no temple in Islamabad,” said the wife of an Indian diplomat, adding there should be a place for collective worship for the Hindus too.

Her woes are also shared by many visiting Hindus as the Indians and many foreigners are not allowed to go to any other city without approval. The only temple in the twin cities is ‘Krishna Mandir, located in Kabari Bazaar, Saddar Rawalpindi.

“By allowing the Hindus to have a temple of their own in Islamabad will not only benefit the small community but it will also add to the face lifting of Pakistan against the backdrop of extremist image,” said Umashankar Singh, an Indian journalist who often comes to Pakistan.

But the anguish and anger among Pakistani Hindu community is much more than just getting a place for worship in Islamabad.

President Pakistan Hindu-Sikh Social Welfare Council, Jagmohan Kumar Arora, said for a population of more than 3,000 individuals there was only one temple in Rawalpindi.

“This is unfair and against the rights granted to us in the constitution,” Mr Arora said, adding: “Not everybody can go to Krishna Mandir for prayers.”

There are a couple of small temples in residential areas of Cantonment established by the lower caste Hindus, most of whom work as sanitary staff in different departments.

All the buildings, property including the shrines of Hindus and the Sikhs are being looked after and managed by the Evacuee Trust Property Board. But the Board has been busy in commercial ventures related to vacant property than utilising them for the welfare of the community.

“The government has made them the custodian of temples but they act like the owners and are not handing over the temples to the community for its judicious use,” Mr Arora said.

Meanwhile, an official of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, who did not wish to be named, said handing over of the temple at Rawaldam or any other place to the Hindus was not possible as it was a serious and complicated matter.

“The first thing is that the even if we open it up it will not benefit anybody as there are only 30-40 Hindus in Islamabad,” he said, adding: “Besides, there also security concerns too attached with such a decision.”

An official of Intelligence Bureau, when contacted, told Dawn that the temple could be a target of extremists.

“This would bring a further bad name to Pakistan and endanger the lives of Hindus too,” the official said. Besides, foreign elements can also take advantage of the situation, he maintained.

However, he did not elaborate the meaning of ‘situation’. “You understand everything, lets pray for the country,” he added.

However, leaving aside the problems, Hindus are busy preparing for Diwali festivities and Laxmi Puja in evening at home, which is for the well-being and aimed at bringing good luck. It is followed by distributing sweets among friends and family members.