Hindus in Pakistan celebrate Rakshabandhan; PPP leader ties rakhi to Bilawal Bhutto

Peshawar/Karachi, August 20

The Hindu community in Pakistan, especially those in the north-western city of Peshawar and the southern city of Karachi celebrated the festival of Rakshabandhan with enthusiasm. Krishna Kumari, a Hindu senator from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), tied a rakhi to her party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Sharing a video of herself tying the rakhi to the PPP leader, Kumari wrote in a post on X: “Happy Raksha Bandhan. Thank you respected Chairman @BBhuttoZardari” and tagged his sisters Aseefa Zardari and Bakhtawar B Zardari.

Ahead of the festival on Monday, makeshift stalls selling rakhis in different colours and designs were set up inside several temples in the city. In Peshawar, the festival was celebrated amid tight security as heavy contingents of police were deputed around temples in city and cantonment areas to ensure peaceful observance of the occasion.

A large number of Hindu women and young girls from all across the metropolis thronged a temple in Jhanda Bazar in the city area for early pooja and then prepared for ‘aarti’, a Hindu religious ritual. They tied rakhi to their brothers after attending the rituals.

According to a Lahore-based TV channel, similar celebrations were held at the city’s old Krishna Temple where brothers and sisters celebrated the festival.