The Sindh High Court directed the top provincial law officer on Friday to submit details of expenditure on proper care of the historical Chowkandi graveyard.
Hearing a petition of Agha Syed Attaullah Shah against encroachments and lack of proper care of the cemetery located on the National Highway near Landhi, the court took exception to non-compliance with is directives and directed the culture department and the board of revenue to file affidavits with regard to the total area of the graveyard and the removal of encroachments from there.
The petitioner submitted that Chowkandi was a precious national heritage spread over almost 57 acres. He pointed out that Chowkandi had been a family graveyard of the Jokhio and Baloch tribes, who lived in the area from the 15th century to the 18th century.
He alleged that influential people were taking away carved stones from the graveyard to use them as decoration pieces in the drawing rooms of their homes. He said people were also encroaching upon the graveyard’s land to build hotels, houses and offices of truck stands, but the chief secretary, the culture secretary and the Malir Development Authority were taking no action to stop those illegal activities.
The complainant said the graveyard was in a dilapidated condition. He further alleged that the respondents were not performing their duties, as required under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994 and the National Fund for Cultural Heritage Ordinance 1994.
He asked the high court to direct the government to ensure the maintenance of the graveyard and to remove encroachments from there. He requested the court to direct the heritage department to file a statement regarding funds spent on the maintenance of the heritage site.
