CHAKWAL has been proud of some of its marvellous objects of antiquity but it seems that its pride is going to fade away soon. If you get a chance to visit the Salt Range, you will find the remains of Malot Fort lying midway between picturesque Kalar Kahar and scenic Choa Saidan Shah.

The fort of Malot, which was built around 980 AD, has nothing to offer us but crumbling walls.

Another historic wonder, Katas Raj, a mediaeval sacred town of Hindus, also presents a gloomy picture. The mention of Katas Raj, located in the Salt Range 18 miles south of Chakwal city, is found in Maha Bharta written in 300 BC.

The etymology of this palace as narrated in the old edition of the History of Jehlum is that according to Brahman belief, Shiv Devta wept so profusely on the death of his beloved wife Satti that the two holly ponds one at Pushkar of Ajmair and other at the present Katas broke from the ground and started flowing with his tears.

Now this holy pond is littered with garbage while there are no pictorial images inside the temples. The Salt Range has also been yielding prehistoric finds. While some archaeologists have discovered the fossils in the period between 6000 and 7000 BC, the fact remains that they have not yet been examined by trained palaeontologists from the West.

Dawn had highlighted the matter with full coverage in its report on April 10 followed by a thought-provoking editorial on the following day. Justice Ijaz Ahmad has banned the excavation of mines in the surrounding of Malot Fort and Katas Raj (April 16).

The Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation would definitely try its best to pull the wool over Justice Ijaz Ahamad's eye by presenting ridiculous excuses.

We tend to appoint men as the head of institutions who have very little knowledge of their respective work, while politicians who never miss any opportunity to rub salt into our already festered wounds have never dared to look after our glorious heritage. Such is the treatment meted out to the hapless people from the ministries of culture and environment.

We still have time to preserve the temples and forts of Katas and Malot by constructing a boundary wall around them and by encouraging the Hindu pilgrims and other visitors to frequent the area.

NABEEL ANWAR DHAKKU
Chakwal