MOENJODARO: Folk dancers and singers wearing traditional multi-coloured dresses took the stage on Saturday at Moenjodaro for a festival that organisers say aspires to promote peace in the country.

The festival aims to publicise the cultural heritage of the country’s south. But it drew controversy when some archaeologists said the event posed a threat to the site’s unbaked brick ruins dating to the third millennium BC.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Peoples Party, organised the event at Moenjodaro, associated with one of the world’s first urban societies, the Indus Valley civilisation.

Saturday night’s event was inaugurated by the 25-year-old Bilawal, who has become the public face of his party.

The festival has been seen as part of efforts to raise the younger Zardari’s profile on the national political stage. He selected Moenjodaro “to promote local culture, peace and tolerance”, government official Saqib Ahmed Soomro said.

About 500 guests were in attendance -- many flown in from Karachi. Roughly 2,000 police officers provided security, although militant attacks are relatively rare in that part of Sindh.

The festival drew controversy when archaeologists said they fear the stage and other infrastructure could damage the delicate mud ruins.

“It is nothing but insanity,” said archaeologist Asma Ibrahim, who is a member of the management board for antiquities of the Sindh government. She said the stage and sound and light show could damage walls.

But organisers say there is no risk to the ruins. “There is no risk to Moenjodaro because of the festival. Rather it was never decorated the way we have done now,” Soomro said.

He said he supervised arrangements for the festival to make sure no harm was caused to the site.

Mr Bilawal visited the site on Thursday and said every step was being taken to protect it, and people would not be allowed to roam freely over the ruins.

His attempts to promote culture have won praise in some quarters. “People are living in a state of depression due to continued violence, and there is a need to provide them more opportunities of entertainment,” defence analyst Talat Masood said.

“The world identifies us with acts of terrorism. Tonight the world will see another face of the country,” said 20-year-old Anwar Baloch, one of the guests.

But in Larkana, some residents questioned whether promoting culture was the best use of resources. “We have hopes for young Bilawal,” said shopkeeper Sunil Kumar.

But he said there were many serious issues in the area.

“We only have eight hours of electricity a day, which destroys our business.”

Moenjodaro, meaning Mound of the Dead, is on Unesco’s list of world heritage sites. Excavations since 1922 have uncovered only one-third of the site, the organisation’s website says. A Unesco campaign ending in 1997 raised money to protect the site from flooding and to control the ground-water table. —Agencies