Heritage at Risk
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal may not be at risk, but its heritage is. Unlike the nation's prized nuclear weapons, little attention is paid to safe guard Pakistan's precious historical monuments. The disturbing picture above shows the destruction of a 23-foot-high 7th century Buddha carved into a rock face in Jehanabad (a village in the touristic Swat Valley).
This area of northern Pakistan was along a major route of the Silk Road. A radical cleric, Fazlullah, launched a Taliban-style campaign in the Swat Valley destroying this Buddha amongst other things. Pakistan's army is fighting these militants, but they were not there to save the Jehanabad Buddha. These militants are an extremely small local cult, not representative of even the religious conservatives. Their actions have costed us more than what they can even comprehend. A part of our history, showing the artistic influence of the conquests of Alexander the Great, died. A sad day indeed.
