Local mechanics, denters hired to restore Sir John Marshall's car

Experts lambast choice of consultant, accuse culture department of minting money

KARACHI: Sir John Marshall, the archaeologist behind the excavations of Moen Jo Daro and Harappa - the two main cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation - left behind a huge legacy for subsequent students of history. His one memory, a Ford-manufactured motor vehicle, has been allowed to gather rust over the past several decades with no regard for its preservation or upkeep.

Sir Marshall served as the director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1920 to 1928, during which time he oversaw the excavation of the two major urban centres of the Indus Valley Civilisation. When he left for Britain, he left behind one vehicle which after some years ended up in the custody of the Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities department.



Only recently did the culture department wake up to the possibility of restoring the car and showcasing it as a piece of heritage for the younger generations. For this purpose, the department has hired the services of local mechanics, denters and painters based in Karachi's Korangi Industrial Area. The contract has raised several eyebrows among antique aficionados, who believe the restoration process should have involved expert engineers as well as the Ford Motor Company that had manufactured the vehicle. "The vehicle must be preserved to its original condition from around a century ago," Qasim Ali Qasim former Director General Archeology Department told The Express Tribune. "The Ford Motor Company can help us in this regard, but unfortunately tenders have been awarded to local mechanics, who will repair it using locally-sourced technology and resources. This will spoil the cause of preservation of the car," he lamented.

The restoration work has already started on the vehicle which is currently parked at the National Museum in Karachi. Mohsin Ikram, the founder of Vintage and Classic Cars Club of Pakistan, has been given the consultancy of the entire restoration project. Ikram has already made a name for himself by successfully restoring the two cars belonging to Fatima Jinnah - a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and a 1965 Mercedes Benz 200.

Experts believe, however, that this is no way to restore motor vehicles. "Rs30 million were allocated for the preservation of Fatima Jinnah's cars and Rs14 million have now been allocated for Sir John Marshall's vehicle," an official of the culture department told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity. "Initially, the Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities department had decided to approach the Ford Motor Company, but they then decided to hire the services of local mechanics," he said, adding that all this was being done to mint money.



Official documents reveal that the culture department awarded two tenders in November 2017 and March 2018 for the restoration project. Ikram told The Express Tribune that he had acquired the consultancy contract to restore the original vehicle and its replica too. "This pickup car is a 1914 model made of wood and iron. Not a single spare part is safe," he said. How can the Ford Company preserve it?" he questioned, adding that only local mechanics could perform the task as they had done with Fatima Jinnah's cars.

A denter, who was drilling holes in the vehicle, told The Express Tribune that once the car was restored, no one would be able to tell that this was a local job. "We have repaired Fatima Jinnah's cars too," he said, adding that the government was saving a lot of money by sourcing these contracts to local labourers.



Roshan Kanasro, the director general of Planning and Development in the Culture, Tourism and Antiquities department echoed Ikram's stance. He even went on to say that they had approached the Ford Motor Company as well as other consultants, but they all refused to take up the task. "We awarded the tender to Mohsin Ikram as he was the only one who had bid for it," said Kanasro, adding that after the restoration, the original car would be shifted to Moen Jo Daro and its replica will be displayed at National Museum Karachi.

For his part, Qasim insisted that the Ford Motor Company would have welcomed the opportunity to preserve the car had the provincial government approached them.

"During my tenure, I twice communicated with them [Ford Motor Company] for this car," he told The Express Tribune. "The United States office of Ford Motor Company referred me to Canada and they suggested approaching Bahrain. We had all agreed to carry out the restoration, but it could not be realised due to bureaucratic hurdles," he said.

Giving a historic perspective of the car, Qasim said that Sir John Marshall, who also began work on Taxilla in Punjab, had two personal vehicles.

"After his retirement, he auctioned one car for Rs900 and left the other one," he said, adding that officials later shifted the car to Lahore Museum. "When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power, his close friend Khalid Ahmed Kharal was appointed Larkana DC, who suggested Bhutto to shift the car to Larkana in 1974." Ever since, the car has been gathering rust at Moen Jo Daro.