UN asks Pakistan to reverse ‘reconstructions’ at Taxila sites
UNESCO, the UN’s cultural arm, told senior government officials at a recent meeting that it would not hesitate to “delist” historical sites in Mohra Moradu and Sirkap, just as it “delisted” a World Heritage Site in Germany, Dawn newspaper reported, citing sources.
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The UN agency warned it would “remove” Taxila from the World Heritage List unless the actions were reversed.
In March, a visitor shared information and images highlighting the reconstruction work of the Punjab archaeological department with Pakistan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris.
The report said the visitor observed “interventions that may affect the authenticity and integrity of the property, particularly the replacement of original walls with new construction or raising their height.”
UNESCO then warned that “unnecessary interventions” would compromise the authenticity and integrity of these sites and could risk being placed on the “danger list.” The report stated that some of the ancient walls in the photographs were replaced by new masonry and that reconstruction was carried out to increase the height of the walls.
It was easy to distinguish between ancient stones, which were irregular in size, and modern construction materials, which appeared polished and one-dimensional, the newspaper reported.
Last month, a joint technical visit to Taxila Museum was carried out by UNESCO, the Department of Archeology and Museums (DOAM) and the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture.
UNESCO has requested specific documents regarding the conservation and restoration work of Mohra Moradu and Sirkap, an official said.
According to Dawn, General Malik Zaheer Abbas, director of the Punjab archeology department, said that it is not correct to describe the ongoing work in Sirkap and Mohra Moradu as “reconstruction”.
“The interventions undertaken are conservation measures based on internationally accepted conservation principles, with the main aim of stabilizing vulnerable archaeological remains, preventing further degradation and preserving the authenticity and integrity of these World Heritage properties,” he said.
“There is no ‘reversal of reconstruction’ at the moment because the works are not reconstruction but conservation interventions,” the official added.
