Filmmaker Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home in Peshawar, Pakistan known as the Kapoor Haveli is going through demolition threats as the current owner of the house is adamant on building a commercial complex on the site.
In 2018, the Pakistan government decided to convert the ‘’Kapoor Haveli’ in Qissa Khwani Bazar in Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province into a museum, heeding to a request by Rishi Kapoor who died recently at a hospital in Mumbai.
Therefore the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had assured Rishi that he will do the same.
Raj Kapoor’s ancestral Haveli in Pakistan to be demolished
Meanwhile, amid all this, the residents of the area say that the building has become a ghost building and its state is deteriorating with each passing day due to ecological impact, torrential rains, earthquakes, and wind storms.
Residents fear that the Kapoor Haveli can collapse anytime. “It is a matter of concern that the Kapoor Haveli which we consider as the pride of our city is in dilapidated condition and is fast heading to extinction because of being ignored,” said Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, a resident of the area.
The haveli is currently owned by Haji Muhammad Israr, a wealthy jeweller in the city. He wants to demolish the building and construct a new commercial building at this prime location.
Read also:
Pakistan’s people pays tribute to late actor Shashi Kapoor outside Kapoor Haveli!
He made three/four attempts in the past to demolish the building but could not do it as FIRs were registered against him by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa heritage department.
Reportedly, there have been issues between the government and Israr regarding the price of the building following which it hasn’t been converted into the museum yet. However, Israr said there’s no issue regarding money and he simply wants to make a commercial market over it.