Sindh govt committed to save heritage in next rehabilitation plan: Murad

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah Saturday said that we are the inheritors of the Indus Valley Civilisation but now we are doomed due to severe patterns of climate change, which should be studied by researchers and scholars for further guidelines on policymaking and addressing the climate change and its adverse effects. This he said while speaking at a Conference `New Challenges to Sindh Heritage & Sculpture & Paintings Exhibition on Centenary Celebrations of Mohenjodaro Excavations’ convened by Culture dept here at Arts Council. Shah appreciated Minister Culture & education, Syed Sardar Shah, to have taken this initiative, and has begun the discussion on this very important matter of `Challenges of Climate Change to the Cultural Heritage’. He said that the recent calamity has affected us greatly and his government has tried its level best to rise to the crises. “It is a fact that our monuments and ancient properties suffered a great deal and I have personally been to a few such places and have observed the effects on the World Heritage Mohenjodaro,” he said and added it was sufficient to convince anyone of the importance of measures to be taken to minimize the impact of climate-related afflictions. “When United Nations Secretary-General visited Pakistan in the first week of September 2022 and especially went to Mohenjodaro to personally witness and assess the damages to this one of two UNESCO-declared World Heritage Sites in Sindh, I led the team on behalf of the Sindh Government and briefed him in detail over severe damages to hundreds of our heritage sites in the province and requested him for saving and securing at least World Heritage sites,” the CM disclosed and went on saying that he had assured him his full support at that time. The CM said that the recent years have been very fruitful as the Earth Summits, and conferences on Climate issues have inched forward to reach some level of consensus. He said that the recent Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP 27) also achieved some level of success, and Pakistan actively participated in it. “Our case with a call for climate justice was passionately advocated by Chairman PPP and Foreign Minister in Egypt, as a result, the world now has agreed to create The Loss and Damage Fund, whereby developing countries like us would be financially incentivized rather than compensated – as they take the burden of carbon emissions of the developed world, which are the key reasons for changed and severed patterns of the climate change,” Murad Shah said. He said that now UNESCO teams with experts have visited the Mohenjodaro and closely working with Culture and Antiquities Dept over a detailed and long-term plan for the conservation and promotion of Mohenjodaro on its 100th anniversary of excavations. The CM said that the Endowment Fund Trust (ETF) has started work on Ranikot to restore its walls damaged by rain and flood. “A French team has surveyed Sehwan city and Fort this month and an International conference is to be held on Sehwan, (Alexander) in February 2023 where 10 eminent Scholars are likely to participate,” he disclosed and said this would help create an understanding of the cause. The chief minister proposed to set up a monitoring committee to study, document, and initiate restoration works and be a watchdog to control and anticipate damage control. He added that the Committee would be an independent body with academics, stakeholders, and Eminent experts. The planning & Development Board shall be advised to include the requirement of the Archaeological Impact Assessment while processing the Public Sector Development Projects, Mr Shah said. He agreed with the recommendation that the standard site stabilizing measures to be observed as a calendar requirement for the Culture dept because emergencies may occur at any moment. Shah assured that his government would support to replenish of the losses and take preventive measures at all sites, to avoid the damages becoming a reality. Murad Ali Shah disclosed that in January 2023, the Sindh Government was going to the Davos, Switzerland at World Economic Forum with a Case Study of Sindh which was the worst hit in the aftermath of devastating rains and floods earlier this year. “Its decades and centuries-old heritage sites are also the worst hit, and we with our limited resources are trying to protect and preserve them,” he said and added that his government was fully committed to raising and integrating the domain of saving the heritage in any next rehabilitation plan with the support and guidance of UNESCO and other leading heritage bodies and experts. Those who spoke on the occasion include Minister Culture Syed Sardar Shah, Archeologist Dr Kareem Lashari, Italian Archeologist Dr Valeria Piacenti and others. Earlier, the CM inaugurated the Sculpture & Paintings Exhibition on Centenary Celebrations of Mohenjodaro Excavations. He visited the exhibition where he was briefed about the pairings and sculpture.