TAXILA: Due to the apathy, bureaucratic and indifferent attitude of the officials of the Punjab department of archaeology, a gallery constructed to display newly- discovered antiquities in the Taxila valley could not be opened even after 15 years.

The gallery was constructed adjacent to the Taxila Museum at a cost of Rs5.5 million during the fiscal year 1999-2000.

According to sources, the department of archaeology hired a firm for the construction of the gallery to set up 22 showcases for displaying over 1,000 antiquities discovered after the construction of the archaeological museum in 1928. It may be noted that from 1947 to 2007, over 9,000 antiquities belonging to the ancient Gandhara civilisation and Buddhism were discovered in the Taxila valley, especially at the Bhir Mound (the first city of Taxila), Julian–II and the newly-discovered sites of Jinan Wali Dehri and Badalpur.

However, after the new building was ready, the local officials of the department refused to take it over quoting the use of substandard material and its construction against approved specifications.

In accordance with the law, the department fortified the security amount of the contractor after which the latter filed a case with a local court.

After many years of litigation the court issued its verdict in favour of the department in February 2013. Later the same year, the then director general of the department of archaeology ordered the officials concerned to decorate the 22 showcases of the gallery with antiquities.

However, so far neither the gallery has been opened for the public nor the showcases have been decorated with the antiquities piling up in a reserve store of the museum.

When contacted, Mohammad Irshad Khan, the deputy director department of archaeology, attributed the delay in the opening of the gallery to ‘technical’ reasons.

In reply to a question, he said as the contractor had filed an appeal against the decision of the lower court with an additional district and sessions judge Islamabad, the department could not open the gallery.

But as the court did not stop the department from executing the project, the department has now initiated work to display the antiquities.

In reply to a question, he said the head office had also approved the display of over 400 antiquities in the gallery.

Despite repeated attempts, the director general of the department of archaeology and museums Punjab could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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