April 14, 2008	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 7, 1429

KARACHI, April 13: After their failure to get removed a telecommunications tower erected at the historical site of Moenjodaro, the provincial level officials of the federal archaeology department have urged their high-ups in the federal capital to take up the issue at the higher level, it is reliably learnt.

According to the sources in the department, the provincial officials, through a communication, accusing the lower revenue department officials of Sindh of tampering with the records have urged the relevant authorities to probe into the matter.

Quoting the communication, they said that an international telecoms firm had illegally installed a communications tower, which is known as Base Trans-receiver Station towers in technical parlance, at Moenjodaro — a protected monuments under the Ancient Monument Preservation Act 1904 vide GR No 5206 GD dated April 23, 1921 — and had badly affected the view of the famous stupa.

Pakistan is also a signatory to the World Heritage Convention 1972 concerning the protection of the World Cultural and National Heritage and it is a prime responsibility of the country to protect the common heritage of mankind from vandalism.

Sources said that the provincial office had already taken up the matter at different levels under Section 18, 19, 22 and 23 of the Antiquities Act 1975 with a request to remove the “illegally-installed tower.”

The act says, “no person shall put any neon sign or other kinds of advertisements including bill posting, commercial signs, poles or pylons, electricity or telephone cables and television aerials, on or near any protected immovable antiquity.”

Sources said that the provincial officials had also informed the higher-ups that the issue was also in accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (Human Rights Case No 179 of 2007) and the same was also taken up with the district-level authorities.

The officials have also alleged that tampering had been done in the revenue records by the relevant revenue officials.

According to the letter, along with some supporting documents, sent to the federal authorities, a no-objection certificate (NOC) dated December 11, 2006 and a revenue land transfer record form 7 B dated October 12, 2006, both issued by the Mukhtiarkar revenue Taluka Dokri, show different entries. Whereas other documents — Book No 5,458, page number 99 and 100 issued by the rehabilitation Mukhtiarkar dated November 13, 1977 — of the same survey shows the land in question a property of the central government.

“Now it is evident by its vacillating positions that the Mukhtiarkar Dokri has tempered with the records which is a serious matter requiring a thorough inquiry through the higher authorities of the government of Sindh,” and the communication concluded with a request that the matter be taken up with the Sindh chief secretary.

However, when contacted the spokesperson for the telecommunications firm, Hasanat Masood, maintained that the land in question had been obtained on a lease by the company and it had all the relevant documents and lease money was also being duly paid.

“The tower has been functioning for over a year now and the matter is closed from our side”, he said adding that the company also possessed all the relevant NOCs, permissions from the relevant government departments for the tower.