ISLAMABAD - The government has terminated the services of Uxi Mufti, Project Director Creative Works, National Monument Museum (NMM), due to unnecessary delay in the execution of the project, TheNation reliably Tuesday learnt. Brig (Retd) Maqbool Ahmed Khan is going to replace Mufti and according to sources, the Ministry of Culture has issued the termination order of Mufti along with appointment order of Maqbool. Brig (Retd) Maqbool has, earlier, performed his duties as the project director of the project. Earlier, Mufti was terminated from the slot of chairman Lok Virsa on July 26, 2008 and after that he couldn't continue his services as the project director but some officials of the Culture Ministry requested to the Prime Minister to let him continue this job, as he had been associated with the project since its launching, an official source revealed while requesting anonymity. Earlier, Mufti had been getting extension for the last eight years and his last contract was going to be expired on December 2008, the sources further revealed. The scheduled date of opening of the museum is December 25, 2008 and he is removed from the project just before a few weeks of its inauguration. The National Monument Museum (NMM) is being established next to Pakistan Monument under presidential directives. The museum was constructed with a view to emphasise freedom movement and the role of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal and other stalwarts of freedom movement. At the time of its approval, it was decided that the museum would have distinct identity and depict the freedom struggle, socio-political history and the rationale behind all the events leading to the birth of an independent country. Sources also informed though the building of Museum had been completed for the last one and a half years and it was to be opened for public along with inauguration of National Monument, yet its opening had been delayed many times due to several reasons. It was also learnt that the primary reason for the delay was that the authorities had not collected an adequate number of exhibits despite the lapse of one year. Despite several attempts, Mufti was not available for comments.