KARACHI: Some land that fall within the demarcated area of centuries-old Makli necropolis, listed among the world heritage sites, has been occupied by influential public representatives and the government is making efforts to recover it in an amicable manner, according to Sindh chief minister’s special assistant on culture, Sharmila Farooqi.

She was responding to questions at Sindh Assembly on Monday by legislators during question hour about culture department on behalf of Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali who also held the portfolio of culture but was not present in the assembly. The session was chaired by deputy speaker Shehla Raza.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislator Heer Soho had raised the issue of Makli land occupied by elected representatives and asked what steps had been taken to recover it.

The adviser admitted that some land had been occupied by influential and elected people and pointed out they were sitting near Ms Soho right now in the assembly. However, the government was making efforts to recover the land in an amicable manner, she said.

She said in answer to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz legislator Ismail Rahu that demarcation of the necropolis land was being carried out and around one and a half kilometre long boundary wall had been constructed. As soon as the encroached land was recovered the wall would be raised around it so that it could not be encroached again, she said.

Pakistan Peoples Party legislator Murad Ali Shah asked about stoppage of water supply to Makli and why the department did not know the reason as was mentioned in the written answer.

She said the water that used to be supplied to Makli earlier was disconnected and diverted to populated areas around the necropolis with the increase in population. At present, only one water tanker was provided to Malki for the rest house and other facilities etc, she said.

“Why then the written reply says here water supply stopped due to unknown reasons,” rejoined Mr Shah. To which she replied that it was probably written by some section officer and printed by assembly staffers. The reasons were known and she had already mentioned that Makli’s water had been diverted, she added.

Mr Rahu asked why water had not been provided to the heritage site over the past many years. She said the government had prepared a Rs5 million scheme under which two tube-wells would be installed to supply water to Makli by next year.

Another scheme for Makli worth over Rs471 million was being implemented which also contained a component of water supply to Malki that would further improve water supply to the necropolis, she said.

Responding to PML-F legislator Nusrat Sehar Abbasi’s question about dilapidated condition of the tomb of Ghulam Shah Kalhoro in Hyderabad, she said the monument was partially damaged in heavy rains of 2011 but it was now being restored by the Endowment Fund Trust.

She did not agree with Ms Abbasi that historical Khudabad mosque in Dadu was in extremely deplorable condition and said the mosque had been in a dilapidated condition before 2009.

But it would soon stand fully restored after a Rs28 million scheme for its preservation came to conclusion within a short period. Already, over Rs26 million had been spent on the mosque till June 2015, she said.

Another development scheme worth Rs40 million had been approved to complete the remaining conservation work of the mosque and its renovation, she said.

According to a written reply to another question by Ms Abbasi, two complexes — one each in Karachi and Mirpurkhas — were operational while work on eight others in Tando Allahyar, Ranikot, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Sanghar, Makli, Umerkot and Larkana was in progress.

A written reply to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf legislator Seema Zia’s question that over 300,000 square yards land of Moenjodaro had been encroached upon by the National Highway Authority, said the NHA had not encroached upon any part of the Moenjodaro.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2016