SIALKOT - Historical Sialkot Fort remains the victim of un-ending negligence of the Municipal Corporation and the Punjab Archaeology Department as it is surrounded by the encroachments which have damaged its beauty.
The politically influential encroachers have set up their encroachments around this Fort due to negligence of Sialkot Municipal Corporation and several dilapidated parts of this fort have become safer places for the addicts.
Likewise, the remains of the historical Sialkot Fort speak volumes about the negligence as no government department ever took steps to preserve it.
No funds have ever been allocated for its repairing. The fort remains the victim of un-ending negligence of Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) and the Archaeology Department as it has been surrounded by the encroachers who are badly damaging its beauty.
Although the offices of Sialkot district government and TMA are located in the Fort, they never bothered to maintain it. The encroachers have set up their encroachments around it due to TMA’s negligence and its several dilapidated parts have become safe havens for addicts.
According to Mr Diayas Jee, historian and author of Hinduism’s international famed history book ‘Maha Bhaarat’, Hindu Raja Sull had established the Sialkot city about 5,000 years ago. Raja Sull had built Sialkot Fort for the Defence of Sialkot city and Sialkot Fort. Sialkot is one of the most ancient cities of Pakistan, enriched with grand historical assets and a custodian of golden traditions, culture art and craftsmanship. It has witnessed many bright and dark aspects. Some history books reveal that then Raja Sallbahan’s Sialkot State had been very strong and invincible. It is a city situated in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. Formerly, Sialkot has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir. The city is about 125 km north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometres from Jammu in India.
The recorded history of Sialkot, a district of modern-day Pakistan, covers thousands of years. It has since its creation changed hands from Aryan, Persian, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh and British rule to the present-day federation of Pakistan.
Historian Rashid Niaz revealed in his book Tareekh-e-Sialkot that the second Faseel of the ancient fort was discovered in 1923 during the digging of Sialkot city’s various part for the installations of various installations. The archaeology experts from Taxila and Delhi (India) visited Sialkot and confirmed that it was 5,000 years old. Raja Sull had deputed more than 10,000 labourers and masons for the repairing and widening of the fort with huge-sized stone slabs and rocks brought here from then Pathaan Kot. This work completed in a stipulated period of two years, having two huge Faseels and 12 Burj in this ancient Sialkot fort.
