“Saving the past from obliteration”

Murtaza Razvi writes in the daily DAWN:

NOTHING is safe any longer from the malevolence of those who continue to bring death and destruction in the name of God in this increasingly Islamic republic; not even a harmless rock-carved image of the Buddha dating back to the second century BC and which no one worshipped.

The giant Buddha at Jahanabad near Mingora in Swat finally lost its face, parts of the shoulders and the feet in a second assault last Friday by Islamist militants. The historical relic had survived two earlier attacks. But this time round, in spite of the law enforcement agencies having been warned of the danger the militants posed to the rock carving, the latter planned and carried out the blast unchecked.

6 Responses to ““Saving the past from obliteration””

Shaheryar Ali Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Raza, thank you very much for sharing this. It means a lot to me. This means that there are people in Pakistan who think rationally.
These powerful words! they have put a new spirit in me.

thanks a lot
Talal Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
This is nothing new in Pakistan. Many remains of the Buddhists have suffered the ‘Islamic blows’. Looks like the authorities in the archeology department are concerned with even more important things. Things like this will surely happen.
RR Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Sherry and Talal
Many thanks for the comments
It is a sad sad situation and we have to raise our voices even if these are little ripples in the complex Pakistani ocean..
temporal Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
fundamentalists are deluded into thinking that by such acts they will succeed in obliterating our past

they can deface rocks and stones but not history!
Sidhusaaheb Says:
October 7th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I am reminded of the razing down of the Babri mosque by Hindu fundamentalists, in India.

All fundamentalists are the same, I believe, and none of them know much about the religion they claim to ‘rescue’.
I Me My Says:
October 8th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Alas! As always, art and artists fall prey to the Dionysian in man. Voices such as yours need to be heard if there is any hope left for our civilization.