CHITRAL: Representatives of political, religious parties and civil society have resolved to foil an attempt of the Auqaf department to take control of Chitral’s Shahi Masjid, Xang Bazar mosque and Bilal mosque in Drosh.
At a meeting with former MPA Molana Abdur Rehman here on Sunday, a resolution was passed by the participants asking the government to stop the auction of Shahi masjid Chitral’s commercial land to be held on March 18 in Peshawar.
The resolution said that the Shahi mosque was run under a grant sanctioned by former president of Pakistan Gen Ziaul Haq and the Auqaf department wanted to occupy its resources in the name of conserving the heritage of Chitral. The meeting decided to use all available forums to foil the attempt of the Auqaf department to take over the control of Shahi Masjid and other historical mosques in Chitral.
Built in 1924 over six kanals close to the Shahi Qila, the sprawling mosque is among the major tourist attractions in the scenic and mountainous district. Shahi Masjid has a beautiful and an eye-catching structure which is a remarkable feat of architectural mastery of that time.
However, the historic building is in need of repairs to preserve its structure. Though some of the damaged portion has been repaired, the work could not be completed due to shortage of funds.
Bashir Hussain Azad
