Rawalpindi’s Parsi Cemetery Needs Protection From Land Mafia

Isphanyar Bhandara, the President of the Parsi Union of Rawalpindi (Pakistan), has demanded that the government provide protection for the Parsi cemetery, located near Benazir Bhutto Hospital, along Murree Road. Currently, a handful of Parsi community families reside in Rawlapindi.

Speaking to the Pakistani media last week, Isphanyar Bhandara, former member of the National Assembly from the Minority Community, asked the government to secure this graveyard as an important part of the cultural heritage of Rawalpindi – a reminder of an era gone by to current and future generations. So far, it has not received any attention or recognition from the Central, State or Regional government bodies.

Built in 1890s by a Parsi merchant family, this single-story building has quite a colonial edge to it. The entire building is plastered with red mortar. The rather well maintained and clean red-bricked structure contains an open courtyard and continuous verandahs that consist of pointed arches and surround the building from three sides. There are also numerous white wooden doors and windows. Next to the building, there is a path lined with palm trees and date trees, adding to the serenity of the monument. The path leads to a black metallic gate, which opens into the graveyard. The well-planned graveyard located within the compound is lined and shadowed with tall evergreen trees. It houses several graves.

Isphanyar Bhandara, who regularly visits the graves of his ancestors including that of his father, alleged that this important part of the cultural heritage is about to be lost to the lust of some traders. He lamented that the nearby commercial centre, namely New Jewellery Market, along the cemetery that is over 250 years old, has concealed it from the eyes of common man. Bhandara said that government should declare this graveyard as heritage and take steps to secure it as the land mafia is keen to grab its remaining empty land, where the Agiary and other old sites still stand. He further shared the matter was currently sub judice between the management of the cemetery and a neighbour who claims its land.

A grave of Behram Jee Hormas Jee Boca, who died in 1860, is also part of the cemetery. The graveyard earlier comprised about 15 kanal of land but now has been squeezed to 8 to 9 kanal of land. As per Bhandara, who took charge of this graveyard in 2008, the former office-bearers of the Parsi union illegally sold some parts of the graveyard where commercial and residential buildings are now being built. He has requested the authorities concerned to secure the graveyard as it is the cultural heritage as some shopkeepers had also removed the writing of ‘Ownership of Parsi Graveyard’.

Members of Parsi community were famous merchants of Rawalpindi when Pakistan came into being. Along with other communities like Hindus and Sikhs, the Parsi community had done great services for this city. “If we continue to neglect our religious minorities, we are in danger of losing our heritage, culture and legacy. There is a dire need to take up immediate protection and conservation of the Parsi cemetery, in order to safeguard the interests of past, present and future Parsi generations of Pakistan,” he added.