Archaeological sites will be handed over to Sindh

KARACHI - The plan of officially handing-over of Sindhs archaeological sites will implement from next financial year 2010-2011 as issues ranging from absorption of federal employees working on sites and financial implication was yet to be settled between provincial government and centre, sources told The Nation on Sunday. Currently, the maintenance of 128 archeological sites located in Sindh are being done by the Archeology Ministry of federal government. But keeping in view of minor allocation of funds, the Culture and Tourism Department of Sindh government approached the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and urged for transferring of administrative control of these sites to Sindh government. Eventually, the federal government agreed to hand-over the physical control of 128 sites including Moenjodaro, Budhist Stupas, Mohatta palace Karachi, Frere Hall Karachi, Wazir Mansion - birth place of Quaid-e-Azam - and other sites. In this regard, Secretary Culture and Tourism, Department of Sindh Government Shams Jafrani told The Nation that official handing-over of archeological sites from centre to the provincial government will implement from first month of next fiscal year 2010-2011. He said that 158 federal employees working on these sites to be absorbed in Sindh government from next fiscal, which will add financial burden of Rs80 million for Sindh government in salaries and other expenditures concerned. However, the financial implications in terms of maintenance of sites are being worked out by the Directorate of Special Projects. When contacted to Director Special Projects of Sindh government and archeologist, Kaleem Lashari, told The Nation that a committee led by Sindh Minister for Culture Sassui Palijo had been formed with an aim to workout the strategy to develop and look-after the archeological sites to be transferred back to Sindh from the federal government. He did not unveil the amount needed for maintenance of sites, saying that the possible financial implication and setting up of priorities will be done by the committee. The list of archeological sites include; Ruins of Old City at Badin, Tomb of Yar Muhammad Khan at Dadu, Jamia Masjid at Khudabad, Rani Kot Fort at Jamshoro Amri Mounds, Lakhomir-Ji-Mari at Dadu, Damb Buthi, Piyaroji Mari, Ali Murad-Village Mounds, Masum-ji, Buthi, Otham-ji,Buthi, Kohtrass Buthi, Loham-jo-daro, Pandhi Wahi Village Mounds, Sehwan Fort in Dadu district, Tomb of Ghulam Shah Kalhora, Boundary Wall of Pucca Fort, Old Office of Mirs, Tajar (Treasury of Mirs), Tomb of Ghulam Nabi Khan Kalhora in Hyderabad district, Buddhist Stupa at Tando Muhammad Khan, Haram of Talpur Mirs at Hyderabad, Nasar Ji Mosque Nasarpur Matiari, Kirah-ji-Masjid Matiari, Mai Khairi-ji Masjid Hyderabad, Mosque of Mirs, Hyderabad, One enclosure containing Tombs of Talpur Mirs at Hyderabad, Wazir Mansion birth place of Quaid-e-Azam , Karachi, Chaokundi Tomb, Karachi, Mohtta Palace (Qasr-e-Fatima) Karachi, Lakho Shaikh (Baloch) Graveyard, Karachi, Khaliq Dina Hall and Library Karachi, Jam Bijar Fort, Mirpur Sakro (Thatta), Frere Hall, Karachi, Diji Ki Takri mound, remains of earliest fortified town Khairpur near Kot Diji Fort, Fort at Kot Diji, Khiarpur, Kot Diji, Naro Waro Dhoro mound, Khairpur, Jhukar Mound Larkana, Buddhist Monastery Prehistoric remains underneat, Larkana, Moenjod-aro Buddhist Stupa and Prehistoric remains underneath Larkana at Moenjodaro, ancient city remain of Brahmanabad (Mansura ) Sanghar, Satyan-jo-than Sukkur at Rohri, Birth Place of Akbar the great at Umerkot, Main Buddhist Stupa (Kahujodaro) Mirpurkhas, Hindu temples in Tharparker and others.