CHAKWAL, July 17: Zaheeruddin Babar, the first Mughal Emperor, was endowed with a fine aesthetic sense, which can be gauged from numerous historical sites he gave to the Subcontinent.

Due to his love for nature Babar realised that a garden could be developed in Kallar Kahar as the water gushing out of the foothills was in abundance and the atmosphere and land were also in favour of trees. He materialised his desire by ordering his soldiers to build a garden there.

Thus not only Kallar Kahar but the South Asia got the first Mughal Garden having a Persian name “Bagh-i-Safa (Clean Garden) covering the area of 11 canals. The trees of loquats, apricots, grapes and pomegranates were planted in the garden.Bagh-i-Safa is still alive and can be viewed beside the picturesque district council rest house.

Babar’s soldiers also carved out a throne of the mountain on the left arm of the garden. The throne was carved out for king so that he could address his soldiers from a prominent place. That throne is known as “Takht-i-Babri and still attracts hundred of thousand visitors every year.

The garden which was not only looked after by Babar’s forerunners but the British also cared it. After British the garden kept on receiving full attention of the district administration till 1990.

But after the departure of Dr Liaquat Ali Khan Niazi (Deputy Commissioner to whom Chakwal owes a great deal) from Chakwal the historical objects of the district was rendered heirless.

Every coming head of district administration never dared to pay any heed towards the historical site. Bagh-i-Safa is one among those neglected objects. The district administration kept on playing game with the garden by making it shuttlecock between tehsil municipal administration and district administration and agriculture department. Such kind of casual attitude cost the garden heavily.

Today’s Bagh-i-Safa gives a contrary meaning of its Persian name as the garden does not look clean. There is not a single attendant seen in the garden. The garden is fraught with weeds, shopping bags, peels of fruits and other filthy items.

The fruit laden plants are receiving the blows of apathy from the visitors as the children and even adults too pluck the unripe fruits. The peacocks the hallmark of the garden is also living in danger as the visitors continue to tease them.

“I came to visit Bagh-i-Safa with the thinking that I could get an enchanting view of the First Mughal Garden in the South Asia but I rendered dejected when I glanced the garden,” Sohail a visitor from Rawalpini moans. He said that even an ordinary park in Rawalpindi got full attention from the civic authorities but this historic garden was being neglected grossly.

Interestingly the district administration acts quickly when loquats are ripe as it auctions them to local contactors. But other fruits like grapes, pomegranates and apricots are wasted either by birds or by the visitors.

When contacted, Executive District Officer (Agriculture) Liaquat Ali said that his department required four attendants to look after the garden.

“First there were four daily wagers hired as gardeners but at present there is only one,” he told Dawn.

He said that he submitted many applications in this regard to the higher authorities but no reply came yet. “We also need chemicals to spray at the plants to keep them immune from different diseases,” he said. When asked about the fruit of loquats the EDO proudly asserted as, “We auctioned the fruit at the cost of Rs95,000 this year”.

District Wildlife Officer Khalid Sahi while talking to Dawn said that his department was doing its best to protect the peacocks. However, he confirmed that the birds were chased and teased by the visitors.

Senior Administrative Officer Fahad Anees said that due to budgetary constraints the garden was not getting full attention.

“We are doing our best in limited resources,” he said.