KARACHI, Sept 3: The National Museum of Pakistan is functioning without its director besides facing shortage of other staff members, many of them technically qualified people, since a long time, it is learnt here reliably.
According to the sources, the top most post of director (BPS 18) at the museum, which is one of the most prestigious and important institutions of the country showcasing its cultural heritage and is visited by a large number of local people as well as foreigners, including dignitaries, has been vacant for the last seven months.
Four posts of assistant curators (BPS 16) have been lying vacant for several months.
The archeology section, which is one of the largest, has only one assistant curator while the post of another assistant curator remains vacant.
It is very difficult for just one assistant curator to handle the reserve section as well as manage the display of artifacts in gallery.
The manuscript section, which is generally run by two assistant curators, is being run by one assistant curator. The post of the deputy director of manuscript had already been abolished many years back. It is very difficult for just one assistant curator to handle the manuscript section, which has one of the largest collections of the manuscripts in the region.
The numismatics and ethnology sections are functioning without any assistant curator.
The paper conservation laboratory at the museum, which is considered to be one the oldest, has been functioning without archeological chemist and other technical people.
The laboratory is responsible for treatment of work of art and manuscripts collection of the museum.
The laboratory, besides the objects from the museum’s collection, also used to carry out treatment of antiquities and manuscripts received from different places.
It depicts the picture of a ghost house owing to shortage of staff and funding, which has demoralized the overburdened staff.
The prestigious library of the museum has been also neglected for the last couple of years when the last librarian was promoted and transferred to the head office.
The post of a conservation assistant has remained vacant since the previous occupant of the post was appointed in another department in January 2003. Similarly, the post of an exhibition assistant has remained vacant since January 1996.
A display assistant was promoted to a higher grade in February 1991 and the post has remained vacant since then.
An artist-cum-draftsman was terminated from service in January 2004 and the post has remained vacant since then. An electrician has retired in November 2002 and his post is still vacant.
A garden inspector had retired in September 2003 after which nobody was appointed to fill the position.
A head attendant and two senior attendants had retired in May 2004, September 2002 and January 2003 respectively, and the posts remain vacant since then.
Four posts of museum attendants have been lying vacant since three of them had retired in January 1995, April 2004, and November 2004 while the fourth one was appointed in the exploration branch of the department in January 1995.
In the year 2002, sources said, many posts were abolished under a downsizing policy while many others had fallen vacant due to transfers or retirement of officials concerned.
The years-long neglect would not only affect the working of museum but also cast its impact on the number of visitors.
