September 24, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 23, 1429

THATTA, Sept 23: The city’s opinion leaders have condemned desecration of the archaeological sites and ancient graveyard of Makli necropolis reportedly by former MPA Ghulam Qadir Palijo, father of Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism Sassui Palijo, and demanded an inquiry into the sorry incident and protection of historical sites.

Talking to journalists, Pakistan People’s Party MPA Humera Alwani, Thatta Citizens Alliance chairman that Javed Memon and Keenjhar Fishermen Welfare Society chairman Adam Gandro alleged that the ex-MPA, in a bid to dig out a drain to save his agricultural land along the necropolis, damaged a part of 962 acres of protected and preserved archaeological sites declared preserved under the Heritage Antiquities Act 1975 and Unesco.

They alleged that Mr Palijo had employed a number of excavators and bulldozers, which had been working for the past one week to dig out a drain allegedly within the jurisdiction of necropolis to save and expand his land holdings.

Thatta taluka council also joined chorus against the move. The council presided over by Naib Nazim Khair Mohammed Brohi condemned encroachment, dismantling of graves and desecration of the necropolis through a unanimously-adopted resolution and called upon President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to hold an inquiry and take action against the perpetrators.

The council was told that in 1993, too, the then PPP MPA Palijo had laid a katcha road through the necropolis to his agricultural land rendering massive damage to the historical graves.

More than two dozen graves decorated with yellow carved stones were reportedly destroyed by the bulldozers.

On Tuesday, dozens of villagers belonging to Gabbar, Khuman, Beilija, Lakha, and Jakhra clans held a procession in Thatta in protest against the dismantling of their ancestors’ graves by the Palijo.

Mr Ghulam Qadir Palijo accompanied by PPP District President Arbab Wazir Memon, PPP leader Altaf Khwaja and PPP MPA Haji Usman Jalbani claimed at a press conference at his Makli residence that he was digging out a trench out for his property, which he had purchased from different parties including Syed Aijaz Ai Shah Shirazi.

He claimed that the necropolis was much far away from his lands.

Mr Palijo said that he had dug a drain outlet to save his lands because rain water from the hilly terrain during monsoon season would inundate his land.EDO of revenue Nasir Abbas Soomro has formed a two-member team comprising DDO Ghazi Khan and Mukhtiarkar Rafique Memon to prepare a comprehensive report on the issue.

Sassui Palijo was not available for comments.