December 16, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 11, 1423

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LARKANA, Dec 15: The assistant curator of the Moenjodaro Museum, Zaheeruddin Shar, has been suspended in the wake of the findings of the inquiry committee probing the theft of 40 artifacts from the museum in May, 2002.

The orders were issued by the director general, archaeology, Pakistan, Saeedur Rehman.

Sources said on Sunday that the suspended officer was charged with laxity, negligence and security lapses besides being found to be misleading the police.

Interestingly, Shar was the officer who had lodged the FIR on behalf of the department and had timely informed the police about the theft on May 10.

The two-member inquiry committee, comprising the deputy director, exploration branch, Karachi and the superintendent of the National Museum, Karachi.

The Assistant curator, in his reply, had disputed the charges.

The curator of the Moenjodaro site, Saeed Khan Jatoi, has already been suspended.

Meanwhile, the sources said that the director, culture, Sindh, Abdul Razzak Memon, in his inquiry report had called for initiating an investigation in the absence of the DG, archaeology.

Currently, only a single night watchman is looking after the entire museum in the wake of the suspension of the curator and the assistant curator.

Some 174 seals were stolen from the museum during the tenure of Abdul Aziz Farooque (1973-76) and so far none of them had been recovered, the sources said.

The investigation officer, Mohammed Pariyal Morio, in his report had also pointed towards the theft of seals during the tenure of Farooque, saying that only his benefits after retirement had been stopped.

According to the police report, the stolen seals had been replaced by imitations.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the District Public Safety Commission (DPSC), Larkana, Dr Niaz Ahmed Chandio, in a communique to the DG, archaeology, Pakistan, has called for constituting a committee to investigate into the theft of seals in the 70s’ from the Moenjodaro Museum.