PESHAWAR, June 8: The recent bomb blast in Islamabad could be a reason that foreign diplomats didn’t attend the cultural evening held in one of the historic houses of the provincial capital -- Sethi House Peshawar -- but, surprisingly, a large number of locals turned up at the event on Saturday night.

“We have to fight terrorism with tourism,” Azam Khan, former managing director Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC), was quoted on the occasion. Coordinator of the event Zahur Durrani said that the provincial government should develop tourism by opening historic monuments for visitors.

The provincial government had bought the Sethi House for Rs15 million about two years ago and the master piece of architecture was opened for a cultural event last month.

Syed Aqil Shah, minister for tourism and culture, welcomed the guests on the occasion and said that the government needed to preserve cultural assets for the coming generations. Historic monuments like Qila Bala Hisaar should be taken over by the provincial government to open them for tourists, he added. NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, who was chief guest on the occasion, said that it was a great experience to end the day at a cultural evening in Peshawar. He assured the department of full support in preserving cultural heritage and said that Rs40 million had been allocated in the upcoming budget for preservation of culture and archaeological sites.

Dr Saleh Mohammad, director of Archaeology and Museums, said that there were about 16 monuments in Peshawar city which needed to be preserved. He said that the Sethi House would be preserved with Rs61.5 million and the PC-I had been prepared in this regard.

Mohalla Sethian is a historic site which speaks of the provincial capital’s glorious and rich past. More than hundred-and-fifty-year-old, the seven houses in the area were built by Sethi family, a business dynasty of the sub-continent. These houses present unique and exquisite decorative woodwork. There are pre-Islamic, Moghul, Sikh and even British motifs, which help trace back Peshawar’s rich and varied cultural and architectural history.