Preserving heritage sites

It comes as no surprise that a mosque reportedly built in the 19^th century on the outskirts of Islamabad stands in ruins and is in desperate need of repair and restoration. Can one hope that help will soon be at hand or should one expect that, like all heritage sites in the country, this too is destined to a lifetime of neglect? According to the cleric of Qadeem Jamia Masjid Kurri, the mosque was built by two Afghan merchants who used Kurri village as a transit point in their travels between Afghanistan and India. The mosque has undergone renovation attempts, a few decades before Partition and then in the 1980s, when much of the structures were remodelled. The mosque’s deputy cleric is quoted in this newspaper as saying, “our authorities destroy monuments instead of preserving them”. Oddly enough, the efforts to “preserve” the mosque took place after an eminent travel writer referred to it on his then morning show on TV, having read about it in a museum in Iran, said the deputy cleric. Perhaps, the mosque’s value needs to be once again brought to the attention of the authorities for it to get the restoration work it needs.

Preserving heritage sites has always posed an enormous challenge for each government in Pakistan, largely because it is not a priority and secondly, because a lack of funds. It becomes utterly disgraceful, however, when heritage sites are endangered, theft takes place at museums, precious land sites are encroached upon by land grabbers and authorities turn a blind eye. Were it not for the efforts of international organisations like Unesco or private corporations which become stakeholders with the government in trying to preserve the country’s heritage, everything would be left to neglect and ruin. It is this careless attitude that requires a massive overhaul. The administration needs to send directives to all the provinces, which are now responsible for the care of their respective heritage sites, to do just that: care for their precious heritage.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2013.