Olson on why preserving Pakistan's cultural heritage should matter to US

Ambassador says that preservation of cultural heritage protects country's identity, maintaining its economic vitality

In a blog for The Huffington Post, United States Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson argues that the US can demonstrate support for tolerance and respect for diversity in Pakistan through the preservation of the country's cultural heritage. 

"Preserving the cultural heritage sites of Pakistan goes hand in hand with preserving Pakistan's pluralistic identity and traditions," he wrote following his visit to the necropolis of Makli Hills to announce that the US government was helping Pakistan conserve two of its most magnificent monuments.

On his visit, Olson was accompanied by conservation architect Yasmeen Lari, during which they walked along the River Indus -- "now a dusty wash".

"As the US Ambassador to Pakistan, I live in a country facing political, military, and humanitarian challenges on many fronts. One front that has not received sufficient attention in Western media is the war on cultural heritage and how this matters to the people of Pakistan," Olson said.

According to the ambassador, groups like the Islamic State (IS) are threatened by the existing rich cultural heritage, which they merely seek to destroy. "One of the ways in which ISIL has consolidated a reign of terror in Iraq and Syria is by erasing any heritage of religious diversity."

Commenting on the Sindh invasion led by Muhammad bin Qasim which led in the introduction of Islam to Sindh, Olson said that the oldest stone tombs at Makli Hills are prevalent with Hindu influence.

"These ancient monuments enrich and inform today's Pakistan and connect us to our cultural origins," said Olson, adding that the weather and environment have taken a toll on the monuments and has also been accompanied by vandalism and looting.

Pakistan has been subjected to terrorism ,which could be the reason treasures of Moghul artistry lie scattered and broken on the ground while some of the elaborate sepulchers have lost their foundations and are splitting apart.

Even the large tombs that are structurally intact have lost their turquoise tiled roofs and cladding and now reveal their baked brick skeletons, Olson went on to explain.

The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is a programme that enables ambassadors to identify cultural monuments around the world which are at risk and since its inception since 2001, the fund has supported the preservation of cultural sites, objects and cultural expression across the world. Makli Hills is one such cultural site.

"The fund has allowed me to support projects that help the conservation of the tombs of Sultan Ibrahim and Amir Sultan Muhammad at Makli Hills," the ambassador wrote.

The Heritage Foundation of Pakistan will be conducting surveys to assess the structural and environmental damages to both tombs. A programme would then be implemented to conserve the decorative features of the tombs and establish skills training and capacity-building workshops for students, artisans and conservation personnel.

Concluding, Olson added that the preservation of cultural heritage plays an important role in protecting a country's identity and maintaining its economic vitality.

"Through the preservation of cultural heritage sites in Pakistan and other countries, the US can demonstrate our support for the principles of tolerance and respect for diversity that residents of this region have lived by for centuries."