September 16, 2006	Saturday	Sha'aban 22, 1427

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LAHORE, Sept 15: More than 500 historical mosques, mausoleums and buildings across the Punjab are yet to be declared protected monuments despite meeting legal criterion.

Under the Punjab Special Premises Ordinance of 1986, all the buildings, which are more than 75 years old or have historical and architectural significance or are associated with a renowned personality, should be declared protected.

Officials say most of the 500 monuments are hundreds of years old and associated with renowned personalities. Some of them are in a state of disrepair and require immediate restoration, they say.

“Though the Punjab archaeology department has been given a budget of Rs80 million to first document and then restore them in a period of five years, it (department) is yet to launch the survey,” they point out.

They say the archaeology department, which is responsible for the upkeep of 244 monuments in the Punjab, has not even revised the list of protected monuments since 1986.

Department director Shahbaz Khan told this reporter that the survey would be launched shortly and important monuments and sites made part of the list in a year. He said the department would also take help from the survey conducted in this regard by the federal archaeology department about a decade ago.

“During the survey our main concern will be to restore the rundown structures of important (unlisted) monuments,” he said.

The federal archaeology department had already identified hundreds of new archaeological sites and monuments in the Punjab between 1992 and 1997 but failed to document them.

The department had allocated about Rs7 million for the survey to carry out documentation, mapping, plotting and recording of ancient sites, monuments, cultural relics and works of art over 10 years. However, it could complete about 80 per cent of the fieldwork at a cost of Rs5 million.

Nineteen prehistoric sites and monuments, a Hakra site, 56 sites and monuments of early Harappan civilisation, 31 of mature Harappan civilisation, five of late Harappan era, five painted grey-ware, 226 sites and monuments belonging to the fifth century BC and seventh century AD, some belonging to early Muslim period (eighth to 11th century AD), the Sultanate era (AD 1200-1500) and the Sikh or British era (AD 1801-1947) have been identified during that survey.

The sites and monuments are located in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Jhelum, Pakpattan, Vehari, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh, Faisalabad, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Bhakkar and Khushab.