Cultural Exchange Programme To Be Initiated: Minister

MIRPURKHAS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th August, 2016) : Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Syed Sardar Ali Shah has said Sindh is rich of culture and heritage but proper initiatives have never been taken.

Cultural exchange programme will be initiated to promote culture of Sindh in the world. This he said after visiting historical fort of Umerkot and talking to media persons, here on Sunday.

He said that ghost artists with fake Names had been paid stipend and no proper steps ever taken for tourism development. He said it was unfortunate that overall there was no ownership, realization of importance of heritage, socially as well politically.

50 years old buildings become part of heritage in the developed countries but 1000 years old building was not part of the heritage in civilizational perspective and it could not gain attention of society as well as politician.

He said after 18th amendment archaeology and antiquity department had been devolved and it became provincial subject.

"Heritage is our face, our identity therefore we need to protect it", he added.

The minister said that laws were needed to be amended and antiquity act itself was outdated. He accepted that archaeological sites had been encroached on, he had gotten evacuated 6 acres out of 12 acres land and remaining 6 acres would be evacuated soon from Moen-jo-Daro site.

Adding that only two archaeological sites of Sindh one Moen-jo-Daro and second Makli had been declared as World Heritage. But, UNESCO had warned them to complete the compound wall of Makli archaeological site otherwise they would remove it from the world heritage list.

Replying to a question regarding excavation of Moomal Je Marri, Umerkot fort, Nohto, Shadi Palli monuments he said he would invite a team to visit those sites and make it clear whether those could be excavated or not.