THATTA: A Unesco (Uni­t­ed Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orga­n­isa­tion) team on Wednesday visited the 15th-century tomb of Mir Sultan Ibrahim in the Makli necropolis to inspect the restoration and preservation works, allegedly botched up by unqualified professionals and unskilled labourers causing damage to the historical monument.

The visit coincided with the inspection of the outer spaces of the monument by archaeology director Qasim Ali Qasim, who a day earlier took exception to the dumping of construction material and waste within the proximity of the tomb by a contractor executing some other works nearby.

Although the Unesco team did not raise a question about the dumping that gave an ugly look to the front area of the tomb, the accompanying officials looked embarrassed and uncomfortable during the high profile visit.

It was only on Tuesday when the archaeology department received information about the contractor shifting the construction waste and excavated earth lifted from the nearby site he was working on to the front portion of the tomb using dumpers.

The activity also caused a spontaneous reaction from historians, heritage lovers and environment activists of the Laar (lower Sindh) area who expressed their resentment over disfiguring and ruining of the world famous heritage site that houses around a million centuries old graves and tombs.

They included historian and former director general of cultural department Dr Mohammed Ali Manjhi, Advocate Gul Mohammed Khushk of the Thatta Bar Association and Sadiq Lakho and Ramzan Memon of the Sindh Cultural Forum.

Mr Qasim told Dawn that the department was in the process of lodging an FIR against the contractor and possibly some other persons found involved in the dumping activity. He said the initial information he had received on Tuesday suggested that the custodian of the nearby Abdullah Shah Ashabi shrine was also involved in the dumping activity and a warning was promptly issued asking him to remove the debris from outside the tomb “within the shortest possible time” or face the action.

Meanwhile, the Unesco team inspected and assessed the alleged botched up restoration and preservation work carried out by the Heritage Foundation Pakistan at the Mir Sultan Ibrahim tomb and left the site without making any comment.

A financial assistance of $270,000 was provided from the US Ambassadors Fund for the work.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2016