KARACHI, Nov 20: An expert archeologist while expressing doubts on the wisdom of a recent move by the federal government to decentralise control over historical monuments and sites as ‘unlikely to yield desired results’ has requested President General Pervaiz Musharraf for reviewing this decision in consultation with archeologists, historians and architects.

A former director general of archeology, Shaikh Khurshid Hasan said that the solution to the existing state of affairs did not lie in entrusting total control of historical monuments to the provinces and suggested that the real causes for the deteriorating state of monuments should first be identified and examined before taking any remedial measures for improving the situation.

In a letter to the president, copies of which were also sent to the secretary, ministry of culture and the chairman National Reconstruction Bureau, Shaikh Khurshid Hasan said that we had got such an enormous amount of cultural treasures in the form of historical monuments and archaeological sites that all-out efforts were required for their conversation.

In his view it was in the national interest that the federal Department of Archaeology was not only retained, but further strengthened by being provided adequate funds and trained personnel.

He maintained that the need for a department of archaeology at the federal level was always necessary to exercise effective control over foreign archaeological missions, traffic in antiquities, implementation of other international and UNESCO conventions on cultural heritage, maintenance of historical monuments and sites inscribed on the world heritage list besides handling of other related matters.

About the role of provincial governments, he suggested that they be kept busy by giving them the responsibility of looking after those historical monuments and archaeological sites, which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the federal archeology department. He said that such departments at the provincial levels should be fully equipped to handle the given tasks.

He mentioned that in India, besides the central government, provincial departments were also looking after historical monuments and archeological remains. There the provinces first created the required infrastructure before gradually embarking on the mission of looking after those monuments and sites not listed

had protected monuments by the government.

He suggested that such a practice could also be adopted in our country, where more than 20,000 archeological sites and historical monuments exist. Out of them only 400\450 sites and monuments are categorized under the Antiquities Act, 1975.

He quoted the examples of Chaukhandi tombs and the historical monuments of Kalhore and Talpur periods in Sindh and in Punjab the fast decaying monuments of the Mughal era, as worthy of attention by the provincial departments.

Similarly, according to him a countless number of Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the NWFP and the tribal areas, besides beautiful monuments , constructed in exposed brick style are also crumbling and require urgent attention of the respective provinces.