March 01, 2007	Thursday	Safar 11, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 28: Punjab Archaeology Director General Oriya Maqbool Jan has written a letter to provincial culture secretary Taimur Azmat Osman requesting that the centre should be asked to appoint an independent team to determine the `damage’ done by the federal department to Punjab heritage in the last 50 years, official sources said on Wednesday.

The letter reads: “Since the last three months the federal department of archaeology is writing obnoxious letters to question the efforts made by the provincial government to conserve and restore these three historical monuments, Lahore Fort, Shalamar Gardens and Katas Raj temples Complex. Such letters have been issued with an intention to malign the credibility of the Punjab Archaeology Department and same feeling has been reflected by Mr G G Jamal, Minister for Culture, in his statement.”

In response to G G Jamal’s statement, the letter says: “This office propose for establishment of a team of independent conservationists, architects and experts to determine the damage done (to the monuments) to evaluate the role of Punjab government in restoration and conservation of only three monuments transferred to the provincial government. We have strong evidences of flouting (of) archaeological standards set by Unesco at a convention regarding protection of world cultural and natural heritage issued on 16th November 1972.

The damage done by the federal department of archaeology are so huge that they have changed the basic structures of some of the monuments of Punjab, which are and were under their administrative control. Most of the damage are irrecoverable and even it is very difficult to restore them (the monuments) back to their original shape and design.”

The letter says: “It is therefore requested that the federal government should be asked to appoint an independent team of archaeologists, conservationists and architects to determine the damage done by the federal department of archaeology to heritage of Punjab in the last 50 years and also evaluate the efforts of Punjab government in terms of guidelines set by Unesco...”

“If the federal government hesitates to do so then the Punjab government should appoint such a team of independent experts so that the matter should be clarified as who did the crime of destroying the defacing the heritage of Punjab,” it suggests.