Some progress: UNESCO delegation appreciative of government’s conservation efforts

Unesco delegation had arrived in the city on April 27 to evaluate the progress made to conserve historical sites.

LAHORE:

The Archaeology Department is hopeful that the Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens will soon be removed from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) list of endangered World Heritage Monuments.

A two-member Unesco delegation had arrived in the city on April 27 to evaluate the progress made in the government’s efforts to conserve and restore the two “endangered” historical sites.

Maqsood Ahmed Malik, Archaeology Department’s deputy director, told The Express Tribune that the team had been appreciative of the government’s efforts “for the first time in years”.

The sites had been added to the Unesco’s World Heritage Sites in 1981.

They were declared endangered by the organisation in 1999 after the water supply system channelling water to a terrace of the Shalamar Gardens was removed in the late 1990s to widen a road. The fort was added to the list the same year because of the establishment of a bus stop near it, which, according to Unesco, affected 21 fort monuments.

Unesco teams have monitored government’s efforts to preserve the historical sites since then.

This was the delegation’s third visit.

During an interview Sharif Sham Imon – one of the delegation members – remained tight lipped about what the report the team will submit to the World Heritage Commission will say. Imon said that it would be available to the Pakistani government in July.

Imon, however, declared that this was the first time he had seen any improvement, saying “A lot of progress has been made. The construction of structures such as the boundary wall around Shalamar Gardens shows that some steps have been taken in the right direction.

Both the fort and the Shalamar Gardens appear a lot cleaner than the last time I visited.”

Imon noted with some concern that the bus stop near the Lahore Fort had still not been relocated.

The delegation also put forth some recommendations when it met with the Archaeology Departments and Nadeem Hussain Asif, the principal secretary to the chief minister.

Unesco representative Alexandra Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein suggested that the Pakistan Institute of Archaeological Training and Research, situated at the fort, be revived for capacity building.

According to the document, made available to The Tribune, the delegation pointed out the “shortage of conservation experts” and proposed that more be hired. Wittgenstein also proposed seeking help from the Parks and Horticulture Authority for improving green belts near the fort. Imon identified electrical wires, dangling “dangerously close” to the south east burj (watch tower) of the fort as a matter of concern. They said that the wires were a hurdle in the way of carrying out conservation work at the monument.

They also proposed that the government draw up guidelines for allowing any construction inside or in close proximity to the fort.

Malik said that the delegation’s recommendations will be implemented soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2012.