PAKISTAN’S request to Unesco to consider Rani Ghat and Banbhore for the World Heritage List is welcome. It follows the recent expansion of the country’s tentative list from 25 to 37 properties, with 12 new cultural and heritage sites added this year.
Both Rani Ghat and Banbhore speak to civilisations that flourished on this land long before the modern state existed, and greater international recognition could help attract scholarship, tourism and conservation funding.
Plans to take Gandhara exhibitions abroad, establish “Gandhara Corners” and facilitate longer visits to Buddhist sites are also sensible. Pakistan has for too long treated its archaeological wealth as a niche interest rather than a cultural and economic asset. But enthusiasm for adding names to Unesco’s list must be matched by equal seriousness about the six Pakistani properties already inscribed on it.
Similar vigilance is required at Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens, where planning and development around the property must not compromise its heritage value.
The record there is mixed. The World Heritage Committee this year acknowledged conservation progress at Mohenjodaro and Makli, while making clear that considerable work remains. Mohenjodaro still requires attention to drainage, salinity and an integrated management plan; Makli needs sustained conservation and adequate financial and human resources.
