Criminal charges are being pursued after a 1,700-year-old statue of Buddha was deliberately destroyed by construction workers in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Video of workers smashing the life-sized statue with a sledgehammer in the town of Takhbhai went viral on July 17.
The destruction of the statue, which had been discovered on the grounds of a home construction site, led to widespread condemnation and prompted the regional archeology department to file a criminal report against the perpetrators.
Abdul Samad, general director of the archeology department, told RFE/RL on July 18 that the statue was destroyed by a local contractor and that five people had been arrested for breaking antiquity laws.
Samad added that the statue was completely destroyed.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province was the the site of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, and Takhbhai, located in the Pashtun tribal region's Mardan district, is considered a major regional site of Buddhist civilization.
Afrasiab Khattak, a former parliamentarian, wrote on Twitter on July 18 that the incident was part of a "systematic effort to separate Pashtun identity from Buddha."
Charges Sought After Rare Buddha Statue Destroyed In Pakistan

Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
As US Ends Protected Status For Afghans, Thousands Face Deportation And Persecution
2Afghan Female Athletes Flee Taliban Only To Face New Hurdles In Pakistan
3Teenage TikTok Star's Killing Sparks Outrage Over Violence Against Women In Pakistan
4The Taliban's Latest Target? Religious Scholars Who Speak Out.
5Taliban 'Suspends' Chess Playing In Afghanistan Citing Religious, Gambling Concerns
6UN Alarmed By Surge In Deportations Of Afghan Families From Iran
7A Doctor's Mission To Help At-Risk Infants And Mothers In Rural Pakistan
8US Revokes Temporary Protection For Thousands Of Afghans
9Trump's Travel Ban Deals New Blow To 'Stranded' Afghans
10Blasts Heard Ahead of Pakistan-India Cease-Fire Deal
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.