KARACHI: Experts regret neglect of Sindh’s heritage
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, April 30: Eminent archaeologists at a conference on Sunday expressed concern over the destruction of historical sites in Sindh and stressed the need for a concrete policy to safeguard the cultural heritage of this province.
In their papers they presented on the second day of the international conference on Sindh: Past, Present & Future the scholars discussed the sorry state of affairs of Sindh’s archeological sites. The four-day conference, under way at a local hotel, has been organized jointly by the University of Karachi’s Department of Sindhi and the Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai chair, and the University of Sindh’s Institute of Sindhology.
The first session, which deliberated upon the ‘cultural heritage-1’ was chaired by Siraj-ul-Haq Memon, a noted writer and intellectual. Dr Jawed Ahmed acted as secretary and Jami Chandio as rapporteur and Prof Shaukat Shoro presented vote of thanks at the end of the first session.
In his presidential address, Mr Memon highlighted the need for understanding pre-historic Sindh, and said that new discoveries of archeological sites in Sindh had laid foundation for further research on the rich culture and heritage of the province.
Prof Paolo Biagi from Italy who is a visiting professor at the Institute of Sindhology, referred to the new archeological discoveries in Sindh. He cited the example of Onga and Rohri Hills that had been discovered some 20 years back and happened to be some 3,000-year-old. Some of the specimens collected from these sites have no similarity to any other specimen in the subcontinent. Other sites were excavated in southern Sindh, near Karachi and Hyderabad. Some pieces were found near the Hub River, Malir and Gadani beach and they are estimated to be 13,000-15,000 years old. Some mangrove swamps were also discovered near Karachi that belong to the copper age, about 8,000 years old.He said there was a need for a comprehensive mapping of the area to have a broader picture of the heritage concerning the Stone Age up to the present day, besides facilitating more excavations and new discoveries.
Dr Neelofar Sheikh of the Shah Abdul Latif University in her papers referred to various archeological sites near Sukkur and Rohri which included Lakhueen-Jo-Daro, which was first documented in 1988, though the excavation on four mounds was carried out between 1994 and 2006. She said that the objects retrieved in digging were jars, burnt bricks platform indicating sealed floor, doorsill and burnt brick walls, terracotta beads, human figurines in terracotta, stone weighs, copper figurines, semi-precious and copper beads, etc.
She said that all the objects resembled to those found at the Moenjodaro and Harappa which pointed to a heritage commonly shared with the Indus Valley civilization.
Dr Mastoor Bokhari of the Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai University presented his paper on the Discovery of Buddhist Sites in Sindh. In this connection, she named Sirajji Takri in the Rohri Hills range, Sirni Kot in Naushehro Feroze, Dhamrah-Jo-Daro, Stupa Mir Rukan in Taluka Daulatpur, (Nawabshah), Kartar Bhit and Bistoi Bhit in Sukkur district, Shapur Jamali Mound in Shahdadkot, Purano Daro in Larkana district, etc.
The pottery pieces and floral work on stupas are with beautiful motifs, she pointed out, adding that these sites in Sindh were in a very bad state due to the negligence and mishandling.
Dr Mubarak Ali, renowned historian, gave a talk on the Changing Aspects of Karachi city: A Living City, Dying Culture. He traced the history from a small fishermen city to an important vibrant port city of the colonial period. He noted that the Parsi community had contributed a lot in the city’s development leading to its emergence as a multi-cultural peaceful city.
In 1947, it turned into a mini-India as people from various parts of that country migrated to this city and settled here.
Later, industrialization of the city attracted Pathans and Punjbis from northern parts who brought in their culture, turning Karachi into a multi-ethnic city. This also cropped up conflicts as every ethnic group seemed striving for its domination. Followed the eventual influx of Burmese, Bengalis and Nigerians, emergence of crime mafias was witnessed.
He observed that people in this city were now losing their interest in preserving its cultural values and, as such, the city’s original culture was dying slowly.
Mr Ghulam Mohammad Lakho’s paper was on Today’s Sindh. He traced Sindh’s history since the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution by the Sindh Assembly. After independence, Sindh provided the new country its first capital, Karachi, but the city was separated from Sindh and handed over to the Centre.
He said that despite the massive sacrifices offered by people of Sindh, they were still suffering from despondency due to lawlessness, unemployment and political chaos everywhere even after six decades. Education is on the decline; water for irrigation is not available; and Sindh’s economy is in shambles. He said politicians, bureaucracy and waderas were equally responsible for this mess as they had failed to rear a democratic culture and would let democracy derail of and on.
On the occasion, the speakers were presented shields as a memento of the conference.
