Unidentified men dig up shrine in Haripur, flee with items

HARIPUR: Unidentified men desecrated a grave at the shrine of “Shaheed Baba” in Pahai village near Tarbela Ghazi, digging it up under the cover of darkness and taking away mysterious items, locals said on Friday.

According to locals, unidentified men dug into the grave inside the cemetery near Shah Ji Plaza on Thursday night and fled with objects taken from within.

The shrine, known for years as “Shaheed Baba’s Mazar” and marked with flags, has long been treated as a sacred site.

However, villagers said there is no evidence that anyone was ever buried there, nor do locals know its original history.

Residents suspect the involvement of groups active in Ghazi and surrounding areas who are believed to excavate idols and antiquities.

Some locals claimed the act may have been an attempt to search for hidden treasure.

The incident has sparked fear and unease in the area, with residents demanding a transparent investigation to uncover the facts and curb the activities of such groups.

They stressed that desecrating a grave is both religiously and socially condemnable, urging authorities to expose those who exploit myths of buried treasures or idols for personal gain.

Earlier, the Sikh community condemned India’s release of water at Kartarpur, describing it as “water aggression.” Leader of Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar, Kulvinder Singh Cheema, said in a video message that India had desecrated the sacred site of Guru Nanak by flooding it, stressing that aggression is not limited to “bombs and bullets.”

Cheema declared Operation Sindoor a “complete failure,” alleging it proved India’s enmity towards Sikhs. He thanked the Pakistan Army for thwarting what he termed an attack on Kartarpur.