Pak Hindu Council criticises appointment of Muslim as ETPB chairman

A representative body of Hindus in Pakistan has criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for appointing Aamer Ahmed as the chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and demanded that a Hindu should be made the chief of the board. Evacuee Trust Property Board, established in 1960, is a statutory body of the Government of Pakistan, which administers evacuee properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.

Pakistan Hindu Council, in a statement, said it will approach the Supreme Court and International Court of Justice, if Prime Minister Khan fails to review his decision. "This is quite strange for Pakistani Hindu community to see appointment of Muslims and Christians as board members," PHC President Gopal Khamuani and Secretary General Parshotam Ramani said in a statement, emphasising that both communities have nothing to do with the Hindu properties in Pakistan.

"(Prime Minister) Imran Khan, no doubt, had emerged as a ray of hope for vulnerable Non-Muslim minorities in a Muslim-majority country. However, performance of present government is highly disappointing in order to protect rights of minorities. The continuous failure of promises is resulting in decreasing popularity graph of current government day by day," it said. According to the Council, there are as many as 1288 Hindu temples, 522 Gurdwaras and worthy Hindu property which need urgent attention of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

"Therefore, this is our genuine demand to appoint Hindu chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board," it said. During the signing of Liaqat-Nehru pact, leaderships of both countries agreed to appoint Muslim head to look after evacuee property in India and Hindu head in Pakistan. The Council said that India and Israel used to appoint local Muslim minority nationals to look after evacuee issues. However, Pakistan failed to appoint Hindu citizen as the Chairman of ETPB since independence.

"Pakistan Hindu Council demands to appoint a well-qualified Hindu Chairman of ETPB on priority basis or otherwise we have no option but to approach the Supreme Court and the International Court of Justice," the statement said.

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