The 125-year-old Bagai Mahal facing demolition. Dawn
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Though historical buildings are protected under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Antiquities Act, 2016, a 125-year-old building inside the walled city of Dera Ismail Khan, known as Bagai Mahal, is facing demolition by the owner.
Section 16 of the Act titled ‘restriction on repairs, renovation, etc, of protected antiquity’ says, “the owner of a protected antiquity shall not make any alteration or renovation in, or addition to the said protected antiquity.”
Director (archaeology) Dr Abdul Samad disputed the claim regarding the age of the building insisting that the available records showed that the building was no more than 92 years old and under the law, there was nothing his department could do to intervene.