Pakistani hooligans urinating on Gandhara Buddhist remains in Swat Valley

Pakistani hooligans have been urinating on the ancient rock carvings of Buddhist iconography dating from more than 2,000 years ago in the Swat Valley, archaeologists said.

According to a report of the Archaeological Institute of America, the remains from the Gandhara civilization are under serious threat due to neglect on part of the government.

The report revealed that the trespassers in the area have defaced the spectacular carvings in various ways, besides bad weather conditions, which have wreaked havoc on the remains over the years.

The Gandhara civilization flourished from the A.D. first to 11th centuries in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan and is known for spreading Buddhism in the area, the report added.

Minister for sports, tourism and archaeology of the Swat Valley, Mahmood Khan, however, said the government will soon devise a proper mechanism for the protection of all the archaeological sites of the Gandhara civilization in consultation with the experts and local culture activists.