BY MEHR YASIN
ISLAMABAD: In a move which has sent shocking waves across the globe, locals in Pakistan smashed another a Budha Statue into pieces.
A local police official in Mardan district in Pakistan’s Khyber Paktoonkhaw province confirmed the incident to ‘Islamabad Telegraph’ on Saturday. However, a case was registered in local police station following the incident and police arrested all those involved in smashing centuries old statue of Budha.
A Peshawar based archeologist also confirmed that that thousand years old Buddha statue worth around $20 million in International market was discovered during a house construction near Takht Bhai in Mardan district of Pakistan’s Khyber Paktoonkhaw province. Construction workers smashed centuries old statue on the spot as the Local Cleric termed it “symbol of kufar’.
“Relic was smashed into pieces by dagger and hammer by local construction workers on Saturday because they considered the relic to be unIslamic,” a local police officer said.
Authorities confirmed that the statue was discovered in Mardan’s Takht Bhai area, which was a part of the Gandhara civilisation, while the workers were digging to lay the foundation for the under-construction house.
A video, which has since gone viral on social media, showed the construction workers smashing the Buddha statue using a sledgehammer and expressing their resentment against the unIslamic relic.
Local media quoted an official of the Pakistan tourism department, who said that the authorities have taken note of the incident and are looking into the matter.
Abdul Samad, director, archaeology and museums, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told ‘Islamabad Telegraph’ that authorities have located the area, where the incident occurred and those involved in vandalism would be held accountable.
“We have taken notice of the incident, FIR was registered and accused have been arrested ,” he said.
Takht Bhai is known for its relics since it was a part of the Gandhara civilisation.
Excavated in 1836 for the first time, archaeologists have dug out hundreds of relics made of clay, stucco, and terracotta in the area.
However, it was not first time that the statue of Budha was smashed into pieces in Pakistan.
In 2018, Pakistani authorities restored A seventh-century Buddha statue that was severely damaged by Taliban insurgents in 2007 to near-original condition.
The Buddha of Swat statue, which was carved onto a cliff in the Swat valley in northern Pakistan, was attacked by Taliban operatives who drilled holes into its face and shoulders and inserted explosives, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported in 2016.
The resulting explosion destroyed half of the statue’s face.
In 2012, five years after the attack, a restoration process was begun under the supervision of Italian archaeologist Luca Maria Olivieri, and with a $2.9-million grant from the Italian Archaeological Mission, which called it a “professional and moral obligation” to help restore the Buddha.