Demolished Jufelhurst School declared protected last year

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) recorded on Friday a statement of the provincial heritage department’s deputy director, Abdul Fatah Shaikh, who said the Jufelhurst School building demolished in the Soldiers Bazaar area last week had been declared protected last year.

Talking to The News, DIG Amir Farooqi of Sindh’s CTD said that in his statement, Shaikh said: “The demolished portion of the Jufelhurst School building highlighted in the attached map in colour yellow is part of the protected heritage building under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994.”

He added: “It was decided in a meeting of the advisory committee, headed by the Sindh chief secretary, to declare the Jufelhurst School building as protected heritage. Accordingly, the building was declared as protected heritage by the Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department. The notification No. was OSD/CHC/05-27/2012 dated January-29, 2016.”

DIG Farooqi said interrogations of the arrested accused, including revenue officials, were under way and there was some confusion over documents that showed some part of the school as a private property.

After the statement of Abdul Fatah Shaikh was recorded, he said, the confusion was removed as he was told about the authentic documents, including the map of the site, confirming that the demolished school and a bungalow enjoyed heritage status.

The beautiful sandstone building of the colonial period has unique architecture. It had been facing threats of demolition from developers and its present-day custodian for being used as an apartment block.

According to Section 18 of the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994, if any person, including the owner, destroys, removes, injures, alters or defaces a protected heritage structure maintained by the government under this act or in interest of which an agreement has been executed under Section 8, he would be punished with a fine of up to Rs100,000 or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with both.

DIG Farooqi said his team had recorded the statement and was about to start working on the details provided. Raids were also being conducted for the arrest of the remaining accused, he added.

A day earlier, DIG Farooqi had said that, another FIR had been lodged by the Soldier Bazaar police against unidentified accused on a complaint lodged by the school headmaster and the investigation of this case too had been transferred to the CTD.

The school headmaster, Mohammad Shafiq, also employed in the education department, registered an FIR against people allegedly involved in the demolition of the school. Shafiq in his complaint said that he was present at his residence when he received a call from residents that some men had entered the school premises with heavy machinery, including bulldozers, and were demolishing the walls.

On this, Shafiq rushed to the school and tried to stop the illegal demolition with the help of area people, but the accused persons started abusing him and also threatened him with murder. Later, a Solider Bazaar police mobile with an officer reached the scene. But he did not take any action and stood like a silent spectator. The complainant further said that he also approached the Madadgar police and informed them about the behaviour of the Soldier Bazaar police. However, the accused had damaged the wall and moved away. He added that in the headmaster’s complaint it was clearly found that there was gross negligence on the part of the area police, who had not intervened to stop the demolition of the school’s wall.

Plea for commission

The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the Sindh advocate general, the secretary culture and heritage department and others on petition seeking constitution of commission to probe demolition of the school building in Soldier Bazaar area, Jamal Khurshid adds.

The court has also been requested to punish the culprits involved in demolition of the heritage declared building.

The petition, filed on behalf of the Amity International by its president Mehfooz Yar Khan, said builder mafia with connivance of officials of the police and the revenue and building control authority had demolished the school building and the bungalow on April 9. The petitioner said if a proper inquiry through a commission was not conducted then the builder mafia and corrupt officials in the building control authority and the revenue department could not be held accountable.