For more than a thousand years, a statue of the Buddha watched over northwest Pakistan’s Swat valley from its 120-foot-high perch on a mountain. No longer. The statue–one of the most celebrated pieces of Buddhist art in the region–was destroyed by Muslim fundamentalist vandals in broad daylight, reports Vishakha N. Desai of the Lebanon Star [subscription only]. While the Taliban’s bombing of the giant Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan inspired international condemnation, the Pakistan Buddha’s destruction has been met by media silence. The attack also points to a mounting threat to the rich Buddhist artifacts and heritage still surviving in Pakistan. –Brendan Mackie
(Thanks, Buddhist Channel.)
