Road construction damages historic fort

The 200-year-old historic Harkishan Garh Fort, built by the Sikh commander Hari Singh Nalwa, is in a state of disarray as construction work of a public park around the fort has been left unfinished and is causing serious problems for the locals.

According to sources, the project of building the park around the fort was launched by three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders better known as the Khan brothers, however, the construction work, which initially went on at a snail’s pace, soon came to a halt as the project contractor abruptly left the project.

As a result, the construction of the road adjacent to the park was abandoned due to which the residents of the area, including the passers-by, are facing serious problems and are protesting against the authorities for showing indifference to the issue.

The locals have demanded immediate construction of the road.

Since this old heritage is located in the centre of the urban city, several government offices including budget and account offices, the city police station and many other buildings are located inside the fort.

Hundreds of people, who enter and exit the fort every day, are facing severe difficulties while travelling in and out of it.

The sources disclosed that new buildings are being constructed in the vicinity of the fort and for this purpose, its walls are being demolished.

For now, only the main gate has been demolished whereas a 50-feet-deep trench has been dug around the sides of the fort and filled with sand.

Moreover, the appearance of the fort has been altered by changing its external design and structure, which is a sheer violation of the Antiquities and Archaeology Act, the sources claimed.

In this regard, locals said that the city administration had prepared various plans for the site of this fort which included the construction of plazas, shops and various government offices.

Five years ago, the then-president of the District Bar, Malik Asadullah Advocate, Jawad Habib Advocate and Haripur Press Club President Zakir Hussain Tanoli filed a petition in the court and obtained a stay order to stop the construction on the fort land.

They also approached the court and obtained an interim injunction against the demolition of the fort and imposed a permanent ban on all kinds of construction work inside the fort. Hence, the local administration was forced to stop different project plans for construction on the fort.

The provincial government had announced building a museum in place of the fort and handed over the site of the fort to the Department of Antiquities and Archaeology, after which the rest of the project was stopped and a new building for the accounts and budget office was constructed.

When contacted, Archaeology Department’s In-charge Nawazuddin told The Express Tribune that “the fort is our historical heritage and nobody will be allowed to alter it.”

He said: “Ever since I took the charge, a permanent official has been appointed to monitor the fort and submit a report.”

Regarding the construction of the park, he clarified that a park is being built outside the fort's allotted area on the adjacent road for which permission will be sought from the Department of Archaeology.

He reiterated that the construction work inside the fort can be stopped but the construction of the park cannot be stopped because it was being built outside the fort’s boundary.

He said that the historical buildings are valuable historical heritage and their protection is the responsibility of the department as well as the citizens.

Meanwhile, Town Municipal Administration (TMA) and the district administration officials said that the park, which will be developed with an allocated fund of Rs34 million, will provide free and affordable entertainment to the citizens in the city centre.

They said that the construction work of the park is in progress and will be completed within the stipulated time.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2023.