UMERKOT: US Consul General Grace Shelton along with Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the scheme for the restoration of the historical Umerkot Fort on Thursday.

Mr Shah spoke about how the fort had been built three times in the past. The Talpurs worked on it in 1812 but no conservation, restoration or renovation work had been carried out during the British era although its walls were falling and the overall condition deteriorating, he said.

He said that the museum presently in the fort does not represent Thar as far as its culture, history, anthropology and archaeology is concerned.

It houses several artefacts of the Mughal era as well as of the Jain temples of Nagarparkar. Mr Shah said that through efforts by the Sindh government the museum would soon come to represent Thar and its rich history and heritage.

The minister elaborated plans of building a well-equipped tourism motel near Umerkot and a tourist resort at Kelankar lake. He said that the amount allocated for the project had been distributed to the relevant departments that were striving to complete the work assigned to them.

Ms Shelton, who was on a two-day trip to Umerkot, met members of the civil society, artists, students, peasants and bonded labourers. She also apprised them of the various initiatives taken by US for socio-economic development and the preservation of heritage and culture in the country. She visited the Umerkot museum where she expressed her keen interest in the manuscripts, artefacts and armoury.

Talking to the media,

Ms Shelton thanked the people of Umerkot for the hospitality, and added that this region has a rich culture and heritage, and it represented a place of peace, pluralism and tolerance.

She outlined the work being done in collaboration with the Pakistan government for the preservation of heritage.

In response to a question regarding health, education, and drinking water faced by the people of Umerkot, Ms Shelton said that she would meet various stakeholders and officials to find out more about their problems and potential solutions so that a strategy could be chalked out.

According to Ms Shelton, there are the two world heritage sites in Sindh — Moenjodaro and Makli. “But my predecessors did not pay attention to them,” she said.

She expressed the desire to organise trainings in museology and trainings for journalists to report on heritage, culture and archaeology in a better way.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2016