July 30, 2007	Monday	Rajab 14, 1428

LARKANA, July 29: The Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism, Rauf Siddiqui, said here on Sunday that the federal government has been approached to hand over the financial and management control of the Moenjodaro to Sindh government.

He stated this while visiting Moenjodaro along with American Counsel General Marry D’ Witt.

After 1927’s excavation no other big excavation could be carried out at the site and added that the initial excavation was only 10 per cent while 90 per cent of the site was yet to be excavated and explored.

He said the process of exploration would be accelerated with the assistance of United States and other friendly countries.

To attract more tourists, the museum at the site would be made fully air-conditioned besides upgrading its existing facilities.

In this regard, technical cooperation would be sought from the departments of archaeology of Chicago and Pennsylvania universities.

The US Counsel General Marry D’ Witt along with the minister took a round of the site and visited the museum and evinced keen interest in the objects placed in the museum and the relics at the site.

The curator of Moenjodaro, Abdul Fatah Shaikh, briefed them about the site and the efforts the department of archaeology was putting in to improve the facilities at the site.

Later, the US Counsel General attended a lunch hosted by the Leader of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Mr Nisar Ahmad Khuhro.