PESHAWAR: Shaheed Benazir Women’s University Peshawar Vice Chancellor Dr. Razia Sultana on Thursday said the university had planned to establish the archaeology department and therefore, it needed the support of scholars for it.

Speaking at a lecture organised at the university on the archaeological research conducted by an Italian mission in Sindh and Balochistan, she also invited archaeologist Professor Paulo Biagi of the Department of Studies on Africa and the Mediterranean, Ca ‘Foscari University, Venice, Italy, to become a visiting professor at the university to help set up that department.

Rosemeen Riaz, focal person for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Art and Museum Project, SBBWU, organised the event on Italian archaeological research in Sindh and Las Bela, Pakistan, said a news release issued by the SBBWU here.

“Having Dr. Biagi among us today is a great opportunity to acquire firsthand information on all excavations done by the Italian mission,” said Dr. Razia.

She requested Dr. Biagi to become part of the university by giving consent to become a reviewer for the university’s category ‘X’ Journal by the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad.

The VC said female students of the university possessed great potential to protect the heritage of the province and therefore, the KP Corner in the university was established.

She said the corner would be upgraded to a small museum to help students learn about their heritage and culture.

Accompanied by Professor Ghaniur Rehman, director at the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisation, Quaid-i-Azam University, Professor Paulo Biagi delivered a lecture to the students.

Served as the director of Italian mission in Lasbela and Sindh, he currently works as a supervisor of PhD students at the QAU, Islamabad.

During the lecture, he shared his 31 years of research, excavation and discoveries experience in Pakistan.

His research team was working to find the evidences related to historical manuscripts.

In the presentation, he showed many pictorial images of different areas of Balochistan, especially Lasbela, till Sindh and the discoveries made by them whose traces were linked to the era of Alexander the Great and Aryans.

He discussed the invasion and activities of Alexander the Great and Aryans and the routes they used with their armies. Moreover, he also discussed the importance and role of Indus civilization in depth with reference to the geographic location and cultures, said the press release.

The students, faculty and administrative staff of the varsity showed keen interest in the topic and asked Dr. Biagi many questions.

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Paulo Biagi planted a sapling as the memorial of the Pakistan-Italy Friendship.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2016