July 21, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 24, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, July 20: A vast collection of precious rock carvings of the Buddhist era in Chilas may sink in the proposed Diamer-Basha dam or be unknowingly destroyed by local people if the government did not act immediately to preserve them, an archaeologist has said.

A report prepared by Dr Zainul Wahab says that during his recent visit to the area he had seen people destroying the rocks by blasting them.

He proposed that a modern museum be set up in Chilas or Basham to preserve the rock carvings.

The archaeologist met the Chilas deputy commissioner, who visited the site and stopped illegal blasting of the rocks.

A German firm has been working on the rock carvings for 30 years. Archaeologists Dr Ahmed Hasan Dani and Prof Karl of the University of Heidelberg have also worked on the sites.

The federal government has declared excavation of the site by the provincial government illegal but it has not deployed any guard there.

In his report to the NWFP archaeology department, Dr Wahab has requested that steps should be taken to preserve the sculptures in the area.

According to the report, there are more than 1,000 sculptures which need preservation.

It said the setting up of a museum to preserve the sculptures would attract foreign tourists to the area.

In Darail valley, a man is reported to have sold a sculpture for Rs500,000.

Archaeologists are of the opinion that some carvings show modifications made after the Buddhist era.

The relics needed chemical preservation besides being placed under a shelter to avoid the effects of weather, the report said.

It suggested that the sculptures be cut from their location and put in a modern museum, as had been done in the Swat museum.

Rock carvings in Shatial town in Dasu district, however, were safe as they were guarded by two watchmen, the report said.