Owner now demands Rs 80m for Dilip Kumar's 'national heritage' home

The current owner of Dilip Kumar's family house in Peshawar, Akram Ullah, has demanded for Rs 80 million, post the four-marla house was announced as a national heritage by PM Nawaz Sharif recently.

An official of the KP Culture Department had informed that the provincial government wanted to buy and reconstruct the house, even before the Prime Minister's declaration, The Nation reported.

The official added that Ullah had initially demanded Rs 35 million, but after the declaration, he went for an unreasonable Rs 80 million, at which the provincial government, who had offered only Rs 20 million, warned him that they could just take the property by law as it was already declared to be a national heritage.

As per Shakeel Waheed Ullah, Secretary General, Cultural Heritage Council, though Akram is the legal owner of the house, after the 18th Amendment, acquiring the house was responsibility of the provincial government and should be taken at the earliest since the residence was in a deplorable condition and could collapse any time.

He further mentioned that the actor's wife, Saira Bano, had contacted and informed him that the Kumar was overjoyed with the decision and they both wanted to visit the house as soon as possible.