ISLAMABAD: Work on the architectural design of the first ever National Museum of Pakistan to be set up in Islamabad aimed at preserving thousands of antiquities is still not complete due to shortage of funds.

A consultant was hired through the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare the design of the museum during the previous government. But the process halted due to lack of funds despite requests from the concerned authorities, an official of the National History and Literary Heritage Division told this news agency.

A sum of Rs2.29 million was approved during the last financial year for redesigning and planning of the museum but the amount was utilised on other expenditures.

The official said the project of national museum was lingering since the era of former military ruler Ayub Khan.

Thousand of antiquities, including unique sculptures of the Buddhist era, clay utensils, guns of the British era, oil lamps, jewellery boxes, mother goddess sculptures, lanterns, handwritten scripts of the holy Quran etc., are ruining in the godown of Taxila Museum and at the Department of Archeology and Museums due to lack of space in Islamabad Museum.

Rs2.3m approved in last financial year utilised on other expenditures, official says

The national museum would be established on 3.24 acres which has already been acquired at Shakarparian near Lok Virsa. But the foundation of the museum could not be laid despite commitment made by the previous government, the official added.

Prominent archeologist Dr Mohammad Ashraf Khan said museums played a great role in promotion of cultural heritage, education and economy and were also a key partner in cultural tourism and innovative industry.

He said the PC-I for the construction of the museum had already been completed.

There is a dire need to increase awareness about importance of the museum in the capital for the projection of the soft image of the country. The government should take up this task on a priority and allocate funds in the next financial year, he said.

Dr Ashraf said a special task force should be established for the establishment of the museum as it would create more than 500 jobs in pursuance of the present government’s vision and policy and would help boost cultural tourism in the country.

The national museum was established after independence in the then capital Karachi which was supposed to be shifted to Islamabad after it became the federal capital.

A nucleus of the national museum was established in a private house at E-7 in 1994 but the project was rolled back in 1998 with shifting of the artifacts stored there to Taxila Museum.

Again in 2002, the nucleus of the national museum was established in a small hall of Sir Syed Memorial Building in Islamabad where only 145 selected artifacts of the previous museum could be housed while the remaining were stored in Taxila Museum.

The PC-I worth Rs13,569.589 million was submitted to the authorities in 2008 but the project was suspended for two to three years by the then secretary culture due to financial constraints.

The architectural design of the proposed ‘National Museum of Pakistan’ was finalised through a competition soon after 8.33 acres was acquired at Shakarparian from Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 2009.

The department again submitted PC-I worth Rs55.577 million in Sept 2015 to the relevant ministry but the approval was not given, the official said.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2019