Muzaffarabad (PoK): The centuries-old Sharadapeeth temple, a major pilgrimage centre for Kashmiri Pandits situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), is in a bad shape and needs an immediate face-lift.

"The temple is not in a good condition because of continued tension on the Line of Control (LoC) and requires an immediate face-lift. Now since the tension has eased considerably, we plan to carry out the necessary works," Mufti Mansoor, Minister for Archaeology in the 'Azad Kashmir' Government said in Muzaffarabad.

The Mufti, who is a legislator from the Sharadapeeth area, also said that his Government was ready to facilitate the movement of Kashmiri Pandit pilgrims "once the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service begins and they are allowed to come in".

He said that the local Government was ready to carry out renovation of the centuries-old temple.

Kashmiri Pandits in India have been urging the Union Home Ministry as well as the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to allow them to visit the shrine every year.

The Pandits have been pleading for quite some time that the pilgrimage be allowed in line with that of the Sikhs to Pakistan and the Pakistan-based Hindus to Indian shrines.