It was no surprise that the 1992 Babri Mosque episode in India had repercussions in Pakistan; in fact, the reaction was inevitable.

In the Kyamarri region of Karachi (Kemari is a misnomer, since Kya is the name, while marri is for building), an angry mob that could not find a temple to tear down headed for the Christian missionary-administered Sacred Heart School.

The mob was rapidly advancing toward the school when suddenly, an old man stood before the crowd and yelled in Pashto:

"Da Kristaan baanday, Hinduan na dey. O Babri Jama’at Hinduan hamla karrey da."

[These are Christians, not Hindus, and the Babri Masjid was attacked by Hindus.]

What happened next, I will share with you shortly.

My journalist friend Anwar Khan was the one who narrated this incident to me. One day, I asked him, “I’ve heard there was an Arya Samaj Organisation active in Karachi and it had its own temples as well.”

Anwar told me there was a building in his area Kyamarri, which had an inscription in Urdu that said 'Arya Samaj Compound'. I asked him to take me there.

Two weeks later, on a Sunday afternoon, Anwar Khan, my photojournalist friends Majid Butt and Akhtar Soomro, and I went to the place. Walking in and out of various streets, we finally reached an old building.

But there was no plaque. I gave Anwar Khan a look of discontentment.

"Yaar the plaque was here some time ago!" he exclaimed.