Islamabad: A directive by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to turn the ancestral house of legendary actor Dilip Kumar in Peshawar into a museum is facing opposition from the provincial archaeological department which termed the proposal as “unfeasible”, media reported today.
The Department of Archaeology and Museums has turned down the government's request to convert the 91-year-old thespian's dilapidated house in Peshawar's famous Qisa Khawani Bazaar area into a national heritage musuem, terming it “unfeasible”.
The Dawn reported that in a letter to the ministry of information and heritage, the department said the house was located in congested areas and can be reached only through a narrow six feet wide and 33 feet long street. The location makes it difficult for the visitors to approach it.
“The house is totally unsuitable for conversion into a museum or library being very small and congested,” it said.
The department also said that the house of three to four rooms was not protected under the Antiquities Act of 1975.
It also objected to the idea on the basis of high cost, saying the owner had demanded Rs 80 million for the house in 2013, which might be higher now.
The letter also referred to a letter by the “Information, Public Relations and Culture Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” province which “termed it wastage of taxpayers' money”.
Dawn quoted a source in the ministry of heritage who said that after acquisition, significant funds would be required for its preservation and transforming it into a museum or a library, besides a huge recurring expenditure.
“The purpose for which all this exercise is being done will not be fulfilled.”
The source said that under the 18th Amendment, acquisition of land was now a subject of the provincial government.
Sharif had earlier ordered Information and National Heritage Minister Pervaiz Rashid to take measures to turn the house into a heritage spot.
Dawn said Information and National Heritage Secretary Mohammad Azam said officers concerned were already in Peshawar to work on the proposed project and prepare a report on how to go about it.
Sources said Sharif is eager to promote cultural relations between India and Pakistan. He met with representatives of the Indian film industry on his last visit to India.
Dilip Kumar was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan in Peshawar.
In the late 1930s, his family relocated to Mumbai.
