Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Err...Temple was not demolished in Pakistan

It was a news item that was based on uncofirmed report quoted from a newspaper and subsequently lapped up by all papers in India. The news was that the lone temple in Lahore was demolished by Pak government.
Surprisingly, the newspapers that have correspondents/stringers in Lahore didn't carry their reporter's story. This had surprised us. The report had said that it was the only Hindu temple in Lahore, which again made it sound unrealistic because Lahore still has a substantial Hindu population. (It was in fact the only Krishna temple in Lahore).
Now it has been proved that there was no temple demolition. But the national papers that had published the report should have also come out with the true picture, which they did not.
One paper, Asian Age, did carry it on Page 2. It was an abandoned site Property no. C 1275 in Wachhowali Bazaar of Lahore that was in the news. But it turned into a temple and that too the 'last Hindu temple' in Lahore. The media must introspect, it has to act responsibly. Millions who read papers and can't find the hidden rejoinders may get the feeling that temple was indeed demolished.