PESHAWAR: The Hindu community has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to beef up security at their worship places and stop “demolition of gurdwara. The representative of the Hindu community on Saturday held a protest over the “unsatisfactory security situation in the city for the minorities and series of demolition of their worship places”. The representatives gathered outside Asamai-Gate temple and chanted slogans against the provincial government, demanding protection for their worship places in the province. They said that some of the members, who have strong nexuses with federal government officials, wanted to raze the Asamai-Gurdwara to build a commercial plaza in its place. The protesters asked the government to hand over the ownership of their worship place to them and sought help to protect the temple. Haroon Sarbadyal, a Hindu Rights Movement representative, told Daily Times that the construction of the commercial market after demolition of the gurdawara was possible only if the provincial government did not extend its help to the Hindu community. “We being the minority in the province desperately seek provincial government help against the majority who are stubborn over the construction of commercial market on the site of our ancient gurdwara”, he said. The protester said that the KP Auqaf Department was supporting the influential persons who wanted to construct a commercial market on the Asmai Gurdwara. However, an official of the KP Auqaf Department told Daily Times that the department would provide security to the worship places of the minorities and demolition of the temple would not be allowed at any cost. The official explained that some of the houses adjacent to the said gurdwara were damaged due to heavy rains and the department wanted to demolish those houses before constructing new houses in their place. It is pertinent to mention that the KP Department of Archaeology has banned the demolition of any place of worship belonging to any minority group living in the province, including the Hindu and Sikh temples in Peshawar and other cities of the province. Meanwhile, the Hindu representatives warned of strong agitation across the province if the government failed to provide protection to worship places of minorities.