The Sindh Culture Department has decided to repair and preserve the Ford car left by Sir John Hubert Marshal
FAISALABAD: The Sindh Culture Department has decided to repair and preserve the Ford car left by Sir John Hubert Marshall, the director general of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1902 to 1928. His excavation in the 1920s had led to the discovery of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, two of the main cities that comprise the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Earlier, several attempts were made to repair this car but in vain. The car was first placed in the Lahore Fort in the 1960s. In 1974, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tried to get it repaired but that never happened. Sir John Marshall’s Ford car is an important antique due to its age, rarity and unique features. It is rusting away in a garage and has turned into a relic with no one trying to safeguard it. The Sindh Culture Department’s decision is praiseworthy and will be proven historic when the car is restored. Sir John Marshall did great work for us by discovering the oldest civilisation, its trade, culture, art and craftwork. In contrast, we are still unable to repair and preserve his golden vintage Ford car. Indeed, the archaeology department is a provincial matter but I strongly urge Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to direct the federal archaeology department and make necessary arrangements to facilitate and fulfil the dream of the Sindh Culture Department.
Engineer Mansoor Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2017.
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