A moment of reflection

The Governor House Punjab in Lahore has been in the spotlight since the PTI government assumed power. Soon after it was opened to the public, which raised numerous questions about its maintenance, beautification and security, another controversy emerged.

The Punjab government had to stop the demolition of the wall following a stay order issued by the Lahore High Court. The present regime views the wall surrounding the Governor House Punjab as a “symbol of slavery” that divides people across the city and plans to raze it before replacing it with an iron fence to allow a panoramic view to outsiders. This argument seems naive and tends to ignore the cultural and legal dimensions of heritage sites.

It is the duty of the state to protect, preserve and conserve cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Pakistan is a signatory to the Unesco Convention Concerning the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage since 1976 and has pledged to recognise the protection and restoration of its heritage sites.

The demolition of the wall of a historic site violates international convention because Unesco recognises that the deterioration or disarray of any item of cultural heritage, anywhere, constitutes the harmful impairment of the heritage of all nations.

It is disheartening to see that our cultural heritage has already been threatened with destruction by the traditional causes of decay, and there is likelihood that changing social and economic conditions may further hasten its deterioration. It is a flawed notion to demolish a wall of a historic site to accommodate changing social needs. We must not forget the peril imposed to historic sites while constructing the Orange Line Metro Train, with the misperceived ambition to advance the goals of economic development.

Environmentalists voiced concerns that the vibrations caused by the construction of a train would damage historical buildings that are situated at close proximity. Buildings that were vulnerable to damage were the historic Shalimar Gardens, the Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Buddu’s Tomb, Chauburji and Zebunnissa’s Tomb, the Lakshmi Building, the GPO, the Aiwan-e-Auqaf, the Supreme Court building and the Mauj Darya Darbar.

The walls of some ancient historical sites like Mauj Darya Darbar, the Supreme Court Registry, St Andrew’s Church and the GPO were virtually demolished, impairing the physical and visual integrity of these buildings. It is noteworthy that the green signal was given by the Supreme Court’s decision overruling the stay order of the Lahore High Court in favour of environmentalists.

As for the legal argument, the demolition of the wall of the Governor House Punjab is a clear violation of domestic laws like the Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985. Section 5 of the ordinance prohibits the destruction of special places in the following words: “no alteration in or renovation, demolition or re-erection of such portion of a special premises as is visible from outside, or any part of such portion, shall be effected without the prior permission in writing of the government or a committee”.

So, it is manifestly clear that “demolition” is an act of destruction and no such plan can be executed without the prior permission in writing of the government or a committee formed under Section 3 of the ordinance. Questions may be raised over whether any committee under the government or a committee of experts was appointed to advise the government under the ordinance to execute the demolition. This is also a violation of the Antiquities Ordinance 1975, which prohibits damage and restrictions on repairs and the renovation of ancient monuments under Section 19 and Section 20 of the ordinance, respectively.

Instead of the cosmetic changes made to heritage sites in violation of the law and risking threat to their existence, it is far more desirable to focus on protecting and preserving them, fostering our cultural identity. At present, Pakistan has only six cultural properties on Unesco’s World Heritage List. These include the Mohenjodaro ruins, the Buddhist ruins of Takht Bhai and the remains of the neighbouring city at Seri Bahlol, and the historical monuments at Makli, Taxila, the Lahore Fort, the Shalimar Gardens and the Rohtas Fort.

The last heritage site from Pakistan was listed in Unesco’s World Heritage List in 1997, over two decades ago. Therefore, hectic efforts are required at the bureaucratic level to move 26 cultural sites from the tentative list (waiting list) to the World Heritage List in order to acquire adequate financial, technical and scientific assistance for the restoration of these sites.

Similarly, effort should be made to list practices, such as playing the flute, dances performed by the Kalash people, qawwali, ajrak printing, and kabaddi as intangible cultural heritage, symbolising elements of living heritage that are under threat.

Here, we can learn a lesson from our all-weather friend China. Although it had a late start in the cultural game, China has registered 52 sites of cultural and natural importance, trailing behind Italy at 53. It has 59 sites on the Unesco World Heritage Tentative List and been successful in listing practices, such as Mongolian throat-singing, building wood arch bridges, and many forms of Chinese opera as intangible cultural heritage.

Many of its provinces are making massive investments in restoring cultural sites to promote tourism and gain the Unesco stamp. Pakistan also needs to gear up, invest in the preservation of our cultural sites and use its heritage to reinforce national pride and boost its global image. Cultural supremacy matters.

The writer holds an LLM degree ininternational economic law from theUniversity of Warwick.

Email: beelam_ramzan@yahoo.com