LAHORE, Dec 1: The beauty of Sarowala Maqbra in Baghbanpura has been marred by land-grabbers who have constructed houses around the Mughal era building in violation of the Antiquities Act.

A few months ago, the land-grabbers embarked on building four walls on one side of the Maqbra, which have slowly taken shape of a house.

The same Mafia also has its eyes set on another dilapidated Mughal building nearby, which is called Katri Begumpura. It is learnt that it wants to get the families dwelling in the decaying building evicted for undertaking new construction.

The director (Northern Circle) of the archeology department issued a letter some years ago to an alleged land grabber, Tariq Ishtiaq, stating that nobody could alter, remove and demolish any part of Sarowala Maqbra or undertake construction within 200 feet of the monument. The director also warned Mr Ishtiaq of legal action under Section 22 Antiquities Act 1975 in case of his failure to comply with department’s orders.

Dwellers of the Katri also filed a civil suit in 2001 against Tariq and his brother Naeem Ishtiaq, praying that since the building was a property of the archeological department, the defendants be ordered not to make them leave the place. The court issued a stay order on June 31, 2001, directing the defendants to restrain from dispossessing the petitioners without due course of law.

But the land grabbers defied the court order and not only built a room at the site but also continued to harass the poor residents of Katri.

An archeology department official told this reporter: “We are helpless and can’t stop encroachment on archeological sites as the land grabbers’ Mafia enjoys support of influential people in every government.”

He said former Auqaf director-general Dr Yousaf Goraya, director Mehfoozu Rehman and late Badshahi Mosque Khatib Maulana Abdul Qadir Azad got the land on southern side of Maqbra on lease, created plots and sold them.

He said the department got a case registered against them and moved a writ in the LHC which was being heard.

The department has powers to arrest any person involved in damaging archeological sites under Section 34 and 35 without warrants. However, the official said, it’s a pity that whenever such people are handed over to police, they secure their release in no time.

He however said that despite its helplessness, the department was making a legal fight against the Mafia. Around 140 cases filed by the department against illegal occupants of archeological sites were pending in court.

When contacted, people living around Sarowala Maqbra said they had purchased the land and possessed legal documents for its occupation. When told that according to the Antiquities Act 1975 no one could undertake construction within 200 feet of an archeological site, they said they did not know anything except the reality that they possessed registries, which “cannot be challenged in court”.

Members of the six families of Katri Begumpura said with tears in their eyes that they had been residing at the place for 50 years, but the Ishtiaq brothers wanted to make them shelterless illegally.—PPI