India demands immediate access to restore ‘vandalized’ Buddhist structures in Gilgit-Baltistan
A week after images of vandalized Buddhist carvings surfaced on social media, India sought immediate access to the area in Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan where Buddhist archaeological sites have been destroyed for its expert team to restore vandalized structures.“We have conveyed our strong concern at reports of vandalism, defacement and destruction of invaluable Indian Buddhist heritage located in so called “Gilgit-Baltistan” area of the Indian territory under illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Wednesday.Srivastava said “egregious activities” of this nature which display contempt for the ancient civilizational and cultural heritage are “highly condemnable”."It is a matter of grave concern that the Buddhist sym