HYDERABAD: An FIR was registered against a suspect on Tuesday for allegedly demolishing a small portion of the fortification wall of the 18th century Pucca Qila on a complaint of a culture department official.

The FIR was lodged by a deputy director of the department, Abdul Haq Bhambro, at the Fort police station against Maqsood Khan Sarwari, alleging that the suspect had got damaged 55 feet of the fortification wall. The police booked the suspect under relevant sections of the Antiquities Act, 1975 and the Pakistan Penal Code.

In his complaint, Mr Bhambro stated that he had come to know through low-ranking employees of the department that someone had demolished the fortification wall’s portion at Street No.1. He said he made inquiries and came to know that Mr Sarwari had got the wall demolished and occupied a 292-square-yard area after removing the original stones from the wall.

Another man, Mr Shaukat, who claims to be the owner of a 2,600-sq-ft plot carved out from the area, had earlier told Dawn that he had purchased the piece of land from Mr Sarwari.

Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Jatoi has also taken notice of the damage and ordered a halt to any construction work at the site. He has constituted a committee headed by the assistant commissioner (city) to hold an inquiry into the matter.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015

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