LARKANA: Ambassadors of 13 countries and high commissioners (HCs) along with their families visited Moenjodaro on Sunday in a delegation.

Officials of India, Japan, Russia, Germany, Austria, Sri Lanka, Australia, Argentina, Portugal, Afghanistan and other countries accompanied Sharmila Farooqi, adviser to the chief minister on culture, at the site. They went round the giant archaeological site where archeology director general Qasim Ali Qasim briefed them.

He told them that it was a bigger civilisation which could be compared with Egypt and Iraq civilisations. So far more than 100 remains of this civilisation had been discovered in North Afghanistan and Gujarat, he said.

The dwellers of this city were civilised and owners of highly-developed scrip of language, he said. “We can easily assess about the social, cultural, economic and religious trends of this city which is kept on the world heritage list,” he added.

The estimates show that it (Moenjodaro) was the city of about 100,000 souls, he said.

The officials visited different areas of the site and museum and in their remarks said the residents of the city were civilised people and good planners as was depicted from the construction of ruins. They expressed happiness after the visit.

Talking to journalists at the site, Sharmilla Farooqi said it was quite encouraging that the envoys and HCs of 13 countries and their families visited the huge site of Indus Civilisation. It would give good exposure to the site and a better impression of Sindh would travel worldwide, she said.

Moenjodaro was the national asset and defended the Sindh Festival held by the PPP government which according to her was transparently organised. Unnece­ssarily the issue had been painted negatively in media, she said.

Calling Dry Core Drilling project a big challenge, she said that despite difficulties encountered in the shape of shortage of funds, weather, water logging issues, the undertaken task would be completed. Actual area of demarcation of the site after finishing the core drilling might help in declaring this site the biggest one, she said.

She said the presence of ambassadors and their families there would remove the impression about terrorism there. These visits would help in promoting the site, she said.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2015