Peshawar is believed by many to be the oldest living city. It has survived in some way or another for over 4,000 years. It is known for its rich cultural heritage and has served as a gateway to India for many centuries. Many invading armies brought new cultures with them. The Walled-City of Peshawar has many historical buildings. The Directorate of Archeology and Museums has identified nearly 1,000 buildings of historical and cultural significance. Among these, two famed buildings are the houses of legendary Indian film actors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.

Both houses have been written about for many years. Legal proceedings continued for 10 years regarding the acquisition of the properties from their owners. Recently, the district administration took over both buildings and handed them over to the Archeology Department under the KP Antiquities’ Act, 2020, which categorises any building that is more than 100 years old as an antique. Dilip Kumar’s ancestral house is located behind the famous Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Standing on 1,088 square feet, the house was purchased for Rs 8.56 million. The Kapoor Haveli, spread over 1,632 square feet in the Dhaki Dalgaran area of the Walled City, was purchased for Rs 15 million.

Dr Abdul Samad, the Archeology and Museums Department director, says that the process was started in 2011. He says a land mafia created hurdles in the acquisition of the buildings. “Things got worse when the owners said in 2016 that they wanted to demolish the houses to construct commercial plaza and damaged parts of both houses. The government had to invoke the Antiquities’ Act to save both properties.”

In 2020, the provincial government used Section 4, of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, to acquire the properties. “Based on the revenue paid over the last five years, the deputy commissioner of Peshawar derived the price of the two properties and paid Rs 24 million to owners of both properties,” Dr Samad said.

Barkat Ali, the owner of Kapoor Haveli, has submitted an objection to the DC’s office, saying he did not want to sell the property and that he had purchased it from the legal owner in the past. “The previous owner, Haji Khushal Rasool, had purchased the house in 1968 in an open auction and later sold it to us. The property is not suitable for a museum as it is situated in a densely populated area. If the government is interested in buying the Kapoor Haveli, they should pay us the actual price of the property which is more than Rs 1 billion,” Barkat Ali told the media earlier last week.

The owners of Dilip Kumar’s house have also raised concerns about the condition of the house with the DC. Gul Rahman Momand, Abdul Jalil Faqir and Kashif Naseem argue that the house is not an antique and that its condition is too poor for preservation. They have demanded Rs 70 million per marla, along with the 15 percent compulsory acquisition charges.

Talking about the next phase, Dr Samad says that archaeology teams had already started estimating the cost and time needed to rehabilitate the houses. “The buildings are in very bad shape but we have rehabilitated buildings like Ali Mardan’s villa and the Western Gate in Gor Kathri in the past that were in worse condition. It is a slow process. We have set a tentative target of two years to return the houses to their original condition.”

Conservation will be done in-house. However, Dr Samad intends to seek foreign expertise to set up museums. “Peshawar was once a centre of multicultural activities. The museums are intended to highlight the connection of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and many other actors with Peshawar and Pakistan. The role of Peshawar in establishing and lifting Bollywood to new heights will also be shown at the proposed museums. We aim to achieve all this with the help of foreign experts,” Dr Samad says. The museums will also shed light on the early struggles of the actors. There are plans to display famous movies and the awards that Yousaf Khan, aka Dilip Kumar, received.

Saira Bano, Kumar’s wife since 1966, has said that she would wish to be at the opening ceremony of the museum: “My heart fills with joy every time I receive news about the ancestral home of Yousuf sahib. I have appreciated the tenacity with which the government is pursuing the mission of turning the house into a museum for the public to visit and feel the vintage charm of the house where Dilip Kumar grew up like any bright boy of the province. The house is of great sentimental value to my husband. During a visit to the property some years ago, he was so emotional when he saw the house where he spent his lovely childhood in the comfort and security of a large, refined family.” She also indicated that awards won by Dilip Kumar would be donated to the proposed museum.

Muhammad Ibrahim Zia has written three books on the culture, actors and singers of Peshawar and KP, including Peshawar ke Fankaar (2013), which has detailed profiles of 72 actors. “I made a list of over 100 persons, who had gone on to perform on radio, TV and cinema in India and Pakistan, but the lack of record about some of them forced me to omit their names from my book,” Zia says.

He says the district administration’s decision about the two houses is an important step for cultural tourism. “Dilip’s house is over 150 years old while Kapoor Haveli was built by his grandfather, DSP Rai Bahadur Basheswarnath Singh, some 120 years ago. These are cultural goldmines. They need to be preserved. Gul Hameed hailed from Pirpiai near Pabbi and performed in the silent movies. He was one of the most handsome actors Bollywood has ever seen. Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Muhammad Qavi Khan, Firdaus Jamal and many more hailed from Peshawar.”

Zia started advocating for the protection of culturally important properties in 2005. “I identified four houses to the provincial minister for culture in 2008. Besides Dilip and Raj’s houses, I asked the minister to protect the houses of Ismail Gul Jee and Syed Ahmad Shah, commonly known as Patras Bukhari.” He says the owners wanted Rs 40 million back then, but the provincial government wanted to pay less than half of that sum. “The last time I visited India, in 2014, Dilip Kumar, being unwell, couldn’t talk, but the first thing Saira Bano asked me was ‘what has happened to our house?’ She knew we were trying to acquire the house for preservation,” he recalled.

The provincial administration has been trying to find ways to promote heritage, culture and tourism. Officials have identified Peshawar as the ideal place for cultural tourism. An official familiar with the plans for a day-tour of Peshawar, said on condition of anonymity, as he isn’t authorised to talk to press: “Starting from the Peshawar Museum, the tourists would go to Gor Kathri, Qissa Khwani Bazaar and Chowk Yaadgar, where they can taste the famous Peshawari falooda. Then will then visit Masjid Mahaabat Khan, before walking to Namak Mandi where they will be offered the renowned lamb tikka for lunch. The government wants to make the houses of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoort accessible to all visitors.”

A major problem with such initiatives has always been lack of continuity. The Directorate of Archaeology and the Museums Department spent Rs 707 million on the restoration of the Cultural Heritage Trail and Sethi House in 2018. However, the heritage trail has lost its charm after the district administration lost interest in its maintenance.

“The Tehsil Bazaar-i-Kalan heritage trail was such a wonderful project. However, it is already damaged beyond repair. The authorities should look at the work done in Lahore by the previous government. Lahore has become the city of gardens. I wish the government can end encroachments, rickshaw and pushcart culture and protect the Walled City,” Ibrahim Zia says.

Dr Samad says, “The Archaeology Department is capable of restoring any building but lacks capacity for large projects. We are maintaining Sethi House… It is as beautiful today as it was the day after restoration.”

Fortunately for Peshawar, Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz has shown interest in the project and ordered the establishment of a separate authority, similar to the one in Lahore. The authority will consist of members drawn from concerned departments, including the district administration, the Culture Department, Archaeology Department and Religious Affairs in order to identify, acquire, restore and hand over places of importance to the concerned departments.

The writer is a Peshawar-based freelance journalist, who has worked for Voice of America and the ICRC