Afghans dream of rebuilding Bamiyan

BHOPAL: Re-establishing the Buddhas of Bamiyan will boost development in Herat province in Afghanistan, said an Afghan official here on Thursday. The 4th and 5th-century monumental statues of standing Buddha carved out on a cliff in the Bamyan valley in central Afghanistan were demolished by Taliban in 2001, triggering worldwide outrage.
Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) and internally displaced department manager, Murtaza Ansari, was 9-year-old when the statues were razed.His home about 10 km from the site that gained world fame - a region once controlled by the Hazaras. "Our communities were targeted. We are rebuilding the statues to draw tourism again. Buddha statues should be rebuilt on the same site. It will be a welcome step," he said.
The magnificent Buddhas included the male Salsal (light shines through the universe) and the smaller Shamama (Queen Mother), as called by locals, said Ansari.
A three-member Afghanistan team comprising Ansari, Zakaria Ahmadi and Asadullah Faizi was on a visit to Bhopal on Thursday. They were a part of 16-country delegation on a study tour of government schemes for urban poor.
The delegation met BMC seniorofficials along with mayor.