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 The Unesco World Heritage Committee is to consider a request for Mehrgarh, Rehman Dheri and Harappa to be included in the list of world heritage sites. This is encouraging, for these digs can be considered extensions of the Indus Valley civilisation sites that correspond to the time-frame of the Old World Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese civilisations. They must therefore be recognised as occupying a position of importance in Unesco’s project to identify and encourage the protection of properties with ‘outstanding universal value’.
In becoming a state party to the World Heritage Convention, Pakistan agreed to maintain and protect the heritage values of any site included in the list. Six of the country’s properties are listed as world heritage sites, amongst them Moenjodaro. But the heritage values of Moenjodaro and of other listed sites are threatened by factors ranging from inefficiency to the lack of resources at the provincial and federal archaeology departments as well as the near absence of domestic expertise or even interest. In identifying Mehrgarh, Rehman Dheri and Harappa as extensions of the Indus Valley civilisation sites, the hope lies no doubt in increasing the scope of interest and foreign investment in the country’s archaeological and historical sites. But this also implies that domestic bodies concerned with the upkeep and protection of sites of heritage value must seriously step up their efforts to protect and maintain the links to our history.
Pakistan’s sites of historical and archaeological interest are badly neglected in general terms. In the case of Mehrgarh, these insufficiencies take on a greater ideological significance. Located on the bank of the River Bolan in Balochistan, Mehrgarh is believed to significantly predate the Indus Valley civilisation. Yet the heritage value of the site must be juxtaposed with the fact that Balochistan has law and order issues; it is underdeveloped and receives inadequate funds from the federal exchequer. The recognition of Mehrgarh as a world heritage site would no doubt generate interest and investment, but for it to yield tangible results, much more must be done to restore the province’s confidence and to resolve divisive issues. |
