PAKISTAN’s heritage — from the Hindu Kush range to the Indus banks and delta — is a testament to the richness of our identity. But one of the largest ancient civilisations has spent decades under threat because it was never a national priority. Recently, Karachi’s TDF MagnifiScience Centre organised a virtual journey to the cultural remnants of the Indus delta through digitally documented sites. A part of the Digital Heritage Trail by MaritimEA, an organisation focused on cultural heritage management, maritime archaeology and ‘blue economy master-planning’, The Lost Cities of the Indus Delta project digitally documents Lahiri Bunder, Bhambhor, Ratu Kot Fort, Ranu Kot, Jam Jaskat Goth, and more. While this is an encouraging endeavour, which acknowledges that preserved tangible and intangible antiquity can change our fortunes, the battle to shrink human interventions, plunder, and climactic impact must be fought in real time and on-site.

Neglect and greed have made vast archaeological tracts and treasures almost invisible. The eighth-century ruins of Mansura in Sindh, formerly known as Brahmanabad, are a case in point: without fencing and security, smugglers and ecological devastation blight this incomparable repository. Where heritage and cultural conservation cannot change the world, it can certainly make it worth living in. The government must do its duty to making preservation and restoration a political agenda with an effective budget and legislation, alongside the stringent application of the Heritage Act, 1974, and the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994. Pakistan’s rare inheritance requires international collaboration and best practices to create socioeconomic growth through tourism, employment and development. Such an undertaking is not easy. However, it is the most constructive way to rebuild a sense of identity, memory, tolerance and learning. Policies that define cultural rights so that inclusion and peace are sacrosanct form the most vital aspect of this journey.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025