Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Two artillery pieces shifted back to Dir

Nawab of Dir-era cannons were taken to Swat in December

AHMADUL HAQ January 16, 2023

Two ancient cannons placed outside one of the palaces of the Nawab of Dir. Photo: File

After heavy criticism on social media, two Nawab of Dir-era cannons have been returned to the Panah Kot rest house in Dir Upper district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Tourism, Culture, Archeology and Museums Department had written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner Dir Upper, directing him to ensure the safe return of the ‘topkhana’ following which both the artillery pieces were returned to the Nawab’s guest house which is now used as a rest house.

Both the howitzers are said to be at least 100-year old and placed at the rest house in 1910.

Last year the sudden disappearance of the howitzers resulted in an uproar and heated debate as there were reports that the deputy commissioner of the district had gifted both the cannons to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan who visited the district a month earlier and inspected both the pieces in the rest house during his brief stay.

Pakistan Peoples Party district president Israr Yousafzai addressed a hurriedly called press conference last year in December in which he alleged that the DC Upper Dir gifted both the cannons to CM and they had been shifted to his residence in Swat.

Later the district administration took the stance that the ownership of both the guns was disputed between the family members of the late Nawab and as a result they had been moved to the commissioner office in Swat to keep them safe.

DC Upper Dir had issued a statement in response to the allegations in which he claimed that no individual could possess such a gun as per the Arms Act 2014 and there was a case in the court in this regard.

Talking to The Express Tribune Israr Yousafzai welcomed the return of both cannons and said that these artillery guns were part of the local culture and history and because of the public pressure both the pieces had been returned to the rest house.

He paid homage to the local clans for voicing their concern over the DC’s illegal act.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2023.