NAROWAL, July 11: A farmer is learnt to have got hold of the treasure of his life while digging earth at Megowal village, about 15 kilometres from here. Reports reaching here reveals that Zahoor Khan, a resident of Megowal village, was digging earth for some construction work outside the village when the tractor’s blades touched an earthen pot deep under the soil. With the brushing, the pot broke but led tractor driver Imran to the discovery of some metallic things.

The next moment he was surprised to see that they were gold and silver ornaments, and antique coins.

The news of discovery of treasure spread like a jungle fire and a large number of people gathered at the site. The tractor driver and Zahoor took away a major chunk of the treasure, except some coins and silver jewellery which some other villagers and children got hold of.

The coins included one rupee of silver (1944), one quarter anna (1938), one quarter anna (1919), one anna (1945) and one pice with a hole in the centre (issued by the Government of India in 1944). All the coins belong to the era of King George V, the emperor of the UK.

The villagers also showed some discovered coins and silver ornaments to this correspondent.

The tractor driver refused to talk to this correspondent about the discovered treasure. However, Zahoor, the land owner, claimed: I have found no treasure from my field. Only few coins were all I discovered, which were taken away by the children immediately.”

He expressed resentment when this correspondent insisted on the recovery of precious coins and ornaments, which the locals believe are worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, saying: “You people and the government have nothing to do with whatever I have got.”

Rashid, another villager, told Dawn that the land from where the treasure had been found was owned by Boot Singh before the partition. Mr Singh owned 50 acres at the village, he added.

After the creation of Pakistan, he said, Kalay Khan, the father of Zahoor Khan, got allotted some portion of the land and Boot Singh’s house in his name. Currently Zahoor and his three sons — Abdul Shakoor, Abdul Ghafoor and Muhammad Saleem — resided in the house, he said.

Muhammad Amin of the same village claimed that just two days before the discovery of the treasure, Boot Singh’s son Wersa Singh, who was residing in Gurdaspur, India, had visited the village. He stayed there for the whole day with Ismail alias Rekhi and Ferozedin, his friends.

He said Wersa Singh wanted to see his native house, but the farmer’s wife did not allow him to enter the place. Wersa, however, returned home with a promise with his friends at the village that he would see them next year.

The district police officer, the SHO and the officials of the district government expressed ignorance about the discovery.