ISLAMIC MILITANTS ATTEMPT
TO DESTROY A FIRST CENTURY
GANDHARA BUDDHA STATUE BUT FAILED
By
Walter Jayawardhana
Islamic militants, believed to be Taliban , attempted to destroy a
beautiful First Century Buddha statue carved into a rock in the North
Western Frontier Province of Pakistan on the border of Afghanistan but
failed in their attempt and ended up destroying a nearby rock, Pakistani
sources said.
The dynamiting to demolish the huge Gandhara era statue occurred in
the small village of Jehanabad in North West Frontier Province, a stronghold
of pro-Taleban militants that lies on the border with Afghanistan, officials
said.
Pakistani newspapers said quoting a villager named Amir Khan that a
group of armed men arrived in the village late on Monday(September 10)
saying they were Mujahedeen, or Islamic fighters, and told residents
they wanted to blow up the 23-foot-tall statue.
The attempt is reminiscent of the destruction of ancient Bamiyan Buddha
statutes dynamited by the Islamic militants at the condemnation of the
whole world.
Newspapers quoted Amir Khan as saying, “A group of armed men arrived
in the village late on Monday saying they were Mujahedeen, or Islamic
fighters, and told residents they wanted to blow up the 23-foot-tall
statue."We heard the sound of drilling twice and then early Tuesday
morning, we heard two blasts."
But later archeological officials who examined the statute said luckily
the attempts of the Islamic fanatics were futile and only rock surrounding
it was blasted by the Mujahideen dynamite.
Abdul Nasir, assistant curator of the museum in nearby Swat town speaking
to a news agency said "Luckily, the actual statue of the Buddha
is safe . Islam teaches us to respect other religions and faiths, but
unfortunately some elements are disturbing the peace in the Swat valley."
Fida Ullah Sehrai, an expert on Buddhist archaeology and former director
of the Peshawar Museum said that the The 7 meter or 23 foot cross legged
Buddha statute was built around the 1st century, during the Gandhara
era, which flourished in that part of Pakistan from the 6th century
B.C. to the 11th century A.D.
Taliban fanatics in Bamiyan in central Afghanistan dynamited two giant
Buddha statues, in march 2001 deeming them idolatrous and anti-Muslim.
It was one of the regime's most widely condemned acts and the whole
Buddhist world including Sri Lanka using the good offices of Pakistan
tried to save them but in vain
|
