The 16th-century Saraey Pakka Khanpur Fort, constructed during the reign of Sher Shah Suri, the emperor of Greater Hindustan, has been turned into a cattle pen by residents living inside the compound due to persistent negligence by the archaeology authorities and the district government.

The famous fort, a mini replica of the Rohtas Fort in Jhelum, was constructed to accommodate the armies of Sher Shah Suri during battles with the Mughals and Ghakkar rulers, who had power centres in the Rawat and Pharwala states of the Potohar region.

A recent visit to this historic monument revealed that ever-growing and uninterrupted encroachments, already wreaking havoc on the remaining structures, have reached an alarming level of destruction.

The decay caused by rampant encroachments has engulfed every nook and corner of the magnificent structure. The main gate of the fort is littered with dung cakes pasted on the front and side walls. These dung cakes cover almost every inner and outer wall.

Small guard rooms along the northern and eastern boundaries have been occupied by cattle, with their interiors lined with hayracks like stables.

Cattle were seen tethered inside and outside these rooms, while precious old bricks are being dismantled and reused wherever needed by self-styled “masons” who have settled there.

The roofs of these rooms are heaped with dried crop straw for cattle, and, in short, no stone has been left unturned to ruin and ravage this historic monument.

Chaudhary Sarmad Ehsan Sadiq, a student of history at a university in the United States, commenting on the condition of the fort, said that in any other country it would have been preserved as a precious monument of ancient Indian history.

He regretted that the fort had been neglected for decades and that the authorities concerned had turned a blind eye to its upkeep and protection.

Ghulam Muhammad, a senior engineer of the Punjab Archaeology Department, Lahore, when contacted, told Dawn that he had recently visited the archaeological site. He regretted that encroachers were mercilessly destroying the originality of the structure by extending residences and converting remaining guard rooms into cattle pens without any warning or restriction from the district administration.

However, he revealed that the department had prepared a presentation aimed at reviving and restoring the fort to the maximum possible extent.

He added that an estimated cost of Rs46 million was being forwarded for approval to the office of the Minister for Archaeology and Heritage, Maryam Aurangzeb. He cautioned that the removal of encroachments and prevention of future illegal occupation would require strong action from the district authorities.

History and heritage enthusiasts have expressed anguish that district revenue authorities are not paying due attention to curbing illegal occupation of precious historical monuments. They have urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb to take serious notice of the destruction of national heritage and to direct its preservation for future generations.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2025