Pakistan’s government acquires ancestral homes of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar

MUSEUMS will be set up at the ancestral homes of Indian film stars Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar at Peshawar after the government of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province took possession of the buildings.

The Peshawar administration issued a notification confirming the transfer of ownership of the properties to the department of archaeology and museums of the provincial government.

It was announced last year that the government will restore both the stars' houses and convert them to museums to establish Peshawar’s links with the Indian Hindi film industry.

Director of archaeology Abdul Samad said family members of both Kumar and Kapoor would be contacted about the restoration plans, Dawn newspaper reported on Wednesday (2).

The government took over the properties under the compulsory property acquisition law valuing Kapoor’s haveli in Peshawar’s Dhaki Dalgaran area at Rs 11.5 million (£52,308) and Kumar’s ancestral residence in Mohallah Khudad at Rs 7.2m (£32,749).

The previous owner of Kapoor’s ancestral home had taken up demolition of the property in 2016. The archaeology directorate halted the operation, but the building was partly damaged by the time.

Acquisition of Kumar’s ancestral property was also delayed due to litigation over its price, although the government stopped its owner from making any alteration to the building.

Last month the provincial government announced the transfer of funds to the local administration to acquire the buildings after legal procedures were completed.

"In the past, only announcements were made, but no practical steps were taken but the current government took possession of the houses after completing all legal procedures. The next step is to restore the two houses to their original conditions and convert them into museums for which funds are available”, Geo News quoted Samad as saying.