Mohenjo Daro is a 5,000-year-old city that was the seat of ancient Indus Valley Civilisation. The archeological site has been a cultural pride for Sindh and Pakistan across the world. As my village is located very close to Mohenjo Daro, I keep visiting it frequently. However, most recently, when I visited the ancient site, I witnessed the renovation work being conducted by inexperienced, local masons. Upon inquiring, I was told that they were hired by the authorities on a daily-wage basis to renovate the walls of the archeological site.
I stopped for a few minutes to see how they were carrying out the work. I was shocked to see a mason using a hammer to break the raised edges of baked bricks to affix new bricks on the wall. Moreover, I was surprised to know that the masons and labourers were inexpert and didn’t know how to do the renovation of critical archeological remains.
It is terribly disturbing to know that the world famous archeological site is being dealt with by local masons having no experience and expertise in archeological renovation. On top of that the “renovation” is being conducted right under the nose of the authorities. The Culture Ministry must take an urgent notice of this “renovation” work and hire archeological experts for the purpose.
Zain-ul Abdin Jessar
Larkana
