HARIPUR, March 11: The historic cemetery of British nationals has been in a pathetic condition for the last many years owing to lack of maintenance by the authorities concerned.

The cemetery, established about one and a half century ago, is situated in Hari Singh ka Bagh (the garden of Hari Singh Nalva), a general of Rja Ranjit Singh, who founded Haripur in 1822. The garden with different kinds of fruits and floral plants is spread over an area of about 15 acres out of which about half of kanal is covered by cemetery.

Now called as Fruit Nursery Farm, the garden is currently in the possession of NWFP agriculture department. Nine graves in the cemetery are completely destroyed while six are partially damaged. Some readable headstones in the cemetery reveal that besides Mr D.W. Tapp, the patrol officer and a dozen others, killed by Hassanzai Tribe of Hazara near former Darband state in a war in 1851, Ms Caroline Sarah wife of Captain F.E. Voyle and Rentoneso R.E. of Sikh Light Infantry 10 are buried here.

Presently there is no arrangement for the upkeep of the cemetery, which serves as a safe haven for drug addicts who also steal tombstones.