Pakistan: Historic building in Peshawar demolished to construct commercial plaza

A historic building close to the ancestral home of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor in Pakistan's Peshawar city was razed to the ground to construct a commercial plaza, triggering a dispute between two government departments.

The archaeology department has lodged a police complaint against the owner of the building and the deputy director of the Evacuee Trust Property, which issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for demolishing the structure.

The police are yet to file an FIR in the case.

The building, constructed between 1830-60, had intricate wooden architecture. It was the glory of Peshawar city and the archaeology department intended to protect it under the Antiquity Act, the archaeology department said in a letter to the station house officer (SHO) of Khan Raziq police station.

The demolition of the building came to light after a civil society activist,

Dr Ali Jan raised the issue on social media a few days ago.