ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Thursday said preservation and documentation of cultural heritage will boost country’s pride, and act as a cohesive bond for national integration.

He was speaking as chief guest on the concluding day of the “National policy seminar on culture, cultural heritage and cultural tourism” here on Thursday.

“This land has played host to great civilizations, like Indus Valley, Gandhara, and rich cultures such as the Buddhist, Hindu, Kalash, Sikh and Muslim.

“We are proud heirs and custodians of this treasure-trove, spanning over thousands of years, and need to adopt policies to highlight our rich and culturally diverse heritage,” he said.

He emphasised the need for involving stakeholders to formulate a national policy, adding that though it was the government’s responsibility to draft such a policy, we should endeavour to accommodate the viewpoints of all the stakeholders and foster cooperation among them.

A set of recommendations circulated among newsmen on the occasion said besides an updated national cultural preservation and development policy, fresh legislation should be formulated to support amendments to the existing laws, followed by the strong enforcement mechanism.

Ratification and implementation of all relevant international instruments, including the recently adopted convention on protection of intangible cultural heritage and universal declaration on cultural diversity, were also included in the set of recommendations.

Regarding amendments to the existing laws, it was observed that under the Pakistan Penal Code, offences like defacement, theft, piracy, wilful damage, etc., to cultural heritage be made non-bailable with substantial fines.

Separate budgetary provisions, mapping and storage, insurance provision, demarcation of sites, provision for permanent exhibitions and personnel training, strong security provisions, protection of diversity and pluralism were also included in the recommendations.

A strategy for creation of authentic information, network for exchange of information was also outlined. The need for the capacity building of all institutions engaged in conservation and preservation activities, training of heritage managers and cultural professionals was also stressed.

UNDP representative Onder Yucer said Pakistan should take the lead and allocate financial resources and administrative support for effective implementation of the recommendations.

Unesco representative Ingeborge Breines said the first step had been taken and Unesco would provide every help to the government of Pakistan in formulating an agreed national policy on culture.